Tuesday 18 January 2022
To further assist and enable positive development in Guernsey's main town, the Development & Planning Authority (D&PA) has approved a Character Appraisal for St. Peter Port.
The Appraisal provides a useful guide to owners, developers, their agents and the public in understanding the character and appearance of an area and in designing development that will respect, conserve and, where possible, enhance it.
In order to respond to current development pressure, the Appraisal concentrates on the following:
- An Overview, which sets the scene and provides a broad study of the overall area;
- The Old Town, which includes the Lower Pollet, Mansell Street/Le Bordage and South Esplanade/Mignot Plateau Regeneration Areas;
- The Harbours and Marinas, which are anticipated to be developed in the near future through the Harbour Action Area/Seafront Enhancement Area;
- The Charroterie Valley, which is adjacent to the Mansell Street/Le Bordage Regeneration Area;
- Le Val des Terres (including La Vallette), which is adjacent to the Harbour Action Area/Seafront Enhancement Area;
- The Hillside Town, which is related to development of the Regeneration Areas and the Harbour Action Area/Seafront Enhancement Area.
Towards the end of last year, a Development Framework was approved for the three St. Peter Port Regeneration Areas. As these are all within the Conservation Area, the principles in their Development Framework made sure to take account of the Conservation Area. The two documents are therefore closely aligned and the Appraisal now feeds into and informs the Development Framework.
Deputy Victoria Oliver, President of the Development & Planning Authority, said:
"Where the Regeneration Area Development Framework provides specific guidance, the Appraisal provides a broader analysis for how we can conserve and enhance what makes our main town special. This appraisal won't hinder development, instead it is now another document available to developers to assist them and enable positive change that brings social and economic benefit, while preserving what makes Guernsey a great place to live and visit.
"Having a character study for these areas provides key foundation evidence and information which will also underpin, support and inform the development of the priority actions in the Government Work Plan. For this reason, this appraisal focuses on the character areas which are most closely aligned with GWP priority actions. This work will support the GWP's aim of resilient and sustainable infrastructure and connectivity. The Authority will be offering a presentation to specific Committees to help highlight to them how it enables the workstreams they are looking at."
The full Appraisal can be found at https://gov.gg/built_natural_historic_environment.
