Architect reveals proposals for Snow Hill uplift

Thursday 06 June 2019

High-speed lifts and a multi-level park inspired by the sand dunes are among the proposed changes for the regeneration of "undesirable" Snow Hill by a team of local architects wishing to breathe new life into the area.

Nicholas Socrates, founder of Socrates Architects, designed the plans following “recent negative publicity” about La Motte and La Colomberie.

Shared with Express, his plans involve making use of what is currently unused land at Snow Hill by turning it into “a vibrant and exciting public space.” 

“Snow Hill has historically been a place of great importance for St Helier,” Mr Socrates wrote.  

The site was home to the St. Helier (Snow Hill) Train Station for the Eastern Jersey Railway in 1874, before a bus station was developed in 1932. 

Pictured: The cable car service stopped in the late 1980s.

In 1970, when Fort Regent became a tourist destination, a cable car station was installed to transport visitors to the Fort. The cable cars were extremely popular and continued to operate until the service closed in the late 1980s.

“For many years now the East of Town has deteriorated while the waterfront to the west has seen substantial investment and development,” Mr Socrates said. “Snow Hill has sadly been neglected and has become an eyesore and an undesirable place.”

The architect believes there is an “exciting opportunity” to regenerate the area, by transforming the disused land and public toilets into an urban park, which would create “a much-needed public space” on the east side of town.

Pictured: “Snow Hill has sadly been neglected and has become an eyesore and an undesirable place," Mr Socrates said.

“A well-designed public urban park on this key site will not only act as an urban design landmark and a new destination for St. Helier, but will serve as a catalyst for change and intervention for this quarter of town and its surrounding areas,” Mr Socrates wrote.

The park was designed taking into account “the inhospitable nature of the current site, which is currently neglected and exhausted,” the project brief noted.

The design was inspired by the formation of Jersey’s sand dunes: how sand troughs and ridges are formed by the wind and resisted by the Maron grass. 

Ridges and level changes throughout the park would help create unique spaces and shelter park-users from winter winds. “The aspiration is to create an appropriate natural environment which can be enjoyed throughout the year,” the Architects said.

Pictured: As part of the plans, the “unsightly” public toilets would be integrated in the level changes of the Park’s design.

While the plans involve the destruction of the “unsightly” public toilets, they could be relocated and integrated within the level changes of the Park’s design. The substation and taxi rank would however need to be relocated elsewhere.

Socrates Architects say two high-speed lifts attached to the cliff-face at the rear of the site could be installed to transport the public to the Fort’s historic ramparts. These they would offer not only outstanding views, but also much more public space and a fresh perspective over St. Helier. 

The plans also include the pedestrianisation of the small section of Snow Hill as well as the first half of La Motte Street, to reinvigorate La Motte Street and its commercial outlets. The regeneration of this area would also benefit La Colomberie, according to the architects.