Both St Sampson’s and Vale Douzaines have welcomed plans to start clearing Leale’s Yard – and have broadly supported other plans for the proposed redevelopment of the neglected site.
The derelict Leale’s Yard sits behind the Bridge, straddling both parishes.
It has been earmarked for development for nearly 30 years, after the Channel Islands Coop bought the site in the 1990s.
The States then bought most of it last July for £4.5m and originally said it planned to clear the site within 12 months – however this now seems unlikely, as a planning application was only lodged in May.
That covered clearing the land, while also making changes to access points, including demolishing buildings on the Bridge, adding an arm to the roundabout at the north of the Bridge, and moving a bus stop from there to New Road.
The plans can be found online.
Any comments must be submitted by Monday, with the Development and Planning Authority then considering any received before making a decision.
Residents of both parishes which host Leale’s Yard have been encouraged to have their say by their respective Douzaines, with St Sampson’s parish representatives saying they are “supportive of the proposed initial measures to aid the much overdue redevelopment of Leales Yard subject to the important road safety and traffic management concerns highlighted”.
Those concerns include worries that the proposed temporary new access road at the north of the Bridge will force traffic through the busy parking area in front of the shops.
“Although temporary in nature, it should be acknowledged that the proposed changes to the roundabout and location of existing bus stops will, in all probability, be in place for several years,” warned the Douzaine.
“The existing mini roundabout is already a complex junction with relatively high numbers of vehicles approaching from all three principal arms; namely Vale Avenue, North Side and The Bridge. Currently vehicles exiting from the Bridge parking area slip road largely rely on the courtesy of drivers heading northbound to allow them to exit safely.
“The creation of a fifth arm to the junction will certainly add to the complexity of determining right of way, especially during peak times, and it is for this reason that the Douzaine has raised road safety concerns relating to the proposed creation of an informal crossing point right at the head of the proposed new access road.”
The Douzaine also raised concerns about pedestrian safety – saying it should be recognised that “all existing pedestrian crossing facilities at the northern end of The Bridge by the mini roundabout are laid out as formal zebra crossings, again set back from the stop lines to allow the risks associated with pedestrian and vehicle movements to be separated”.
“The proposed new access road into Leales Yard is a two-way road facilitating heavy goods vehicle movements and is to be located within an already complex mini roundabout handling high volumes of traffic. Whilst vehicle movements into and out of the site might be minimal during the demolition phase, the walking route is heavily traversed by pedestrians.
“Accordingly, the proposed creation of a courtesy crossing at the head of the proposed new access road is not considered to be the best solution in terms of pedestrian safety. Whilst it is recognised that pedestrians generally prefer to follow as direct a route as possible, it is important to ensure their safety in this area and in the opinion of the Douzaine this could be better achieved by installing a formal zebra crossing set back from the junction or, as an absolute minimum, a properly marked courtesy crossing (using different colour tarmac or paving).”
Vale Douzaine has echoed the support, and some of the concerns raised, by St Sampson’s.
It said “the proposed additional arm to the mini roundabout represents the least disruptive traffic intervention to facilitate the demolition of the majority of Leale’s Yard” while the “proposed informal crossing is in alignment with the frequent use in the surrounding area at both Nocq Road and Commercial Road”.
Senior Constable John Niles said they had been “pressing for years for investment in the Bridge area and the planning application showed that something was finally happening”.
He acknowledged that parishioners and others would have views on the proposals – and the planned relocation of bus stops – but the consultations had tried to establish a balance.
