"What's happened to promised investment for town?"

Wednesday 15 July 2015

After promises that regenerating St Helier would be one of the top “Strategic Priorities” for the next five years, the Town Constable is asking why no money seems to have been set aside for renewal and amenity schemes in ministers’ new financial plans.

The draft financial plans to run from 2016 to 2019 were released yesterday, and appear to have missed out on providing money to back up pledges to invest in making St Helier a better place to live and work.

And now the Constable, Simon Crowcroft, says that he will end up fighting the plans if ministers don’t keep their promises over investment in the town and finally paying rates on their buildings.

“It does concern me, and given that they are putting money aside for other priorities such as health and education and IT,” said Mr Crowcroft.

“What I think St Helier residents are most concerned about is that the town will be asked to take a significant number of new housing developments to protect the rest of the Island, but that we won’t be given the substantial improvements in the urban environment that need to go hand in hand with an intensificiation of the numbers of people living in St Helier.”