Vale Douzaine 'horrified' by Saltpans traffic and access issues

Proposals to build up to 150 new homes at the Saltpans site in the north of the island have been strongly criticised by the Senior Constable of the Vale in a formal letter of comment to the States Development and Planning Authority.

Richard Leale said the Douzaine was "frankly horrified" that the intention was to discharge up to 300 additional cars at peak times unto an already busy thoroughfare.

While the bulk of the site was in St Sampson's, proposed access and egress to it was in the Vale so "It was noted with grave concern that the traffic assessment [appended to the draft planning framework] was so dismissive of the wellbeing of people already having to use the Braye Road at peak times," said Mr Leale. 

Car parking needed
The planners put forward the view that additional housing was required to re-generate The Bridge. However, "This is not the opinion of the Douzaine, who feel that the infrastructure of The Bridge is what needs attention and, as part of that, car parking," said Mr Leale.

The main advantage to shoppers there was the ability to park and ‘nip’ into the shops so it was naïve to believe residents of the proposed development would behave in any different manner.

Since the site had been designated for housing, the Douzaine realised it was inevitable homes would be built there, so the concern was the number of dwellings proposed.

Double standards
The Douzaine cited the Strawberry Farm – a very large area – on which only five houses are to be built following complaints from neighbouring home owners. "Parishioners in the Vale have commented via our Facebook site that there appears to be double standards in regard to the upper and lower parishes when it comes to density of housing," said the Constable.

He raised two other issues: With the development of Leale’s Yard, Cleveleys, Pointes Rocques, Camp Dolen and other major sites, all for family type dwellings, where would the children be schooled?

In addition, there was a major douit running through the site which fairly successfully drained land either side with the aid of pumps. Should this douit be piped to allow development to go ahead it was likely to have a detrimental effect on the surrounding land, especially as the Planners' own documentation indicated Saltpans at risk of flooding (image below).

The D&PA has yet to respond to these parish concerns.