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Plans for a major redevelopment of the Harbour – including reclaiming land, constructing a new freight platform on stilts, building a new passenger terminal and creating public spaces equal in size to the Millennium Town Park – have been passed.
This afternoon, the Planning Committee, in determining one of the biggest applications it has ever faced, made one of the biggest decisions the group of politicians has ever had to make.
And by five votes to one, it approved a project which will transform the Harbour.
Not only will the current Elizabeth Terminal be knocked down, with a new curved building being constructed closer to the Elizabeth Marina, but also all freight activity will move to the Elizabeth Harbour.
Pictured: The existing Elizabeth Harbour (top) compared to the proposed redevelopment plans (bottom).
Even the giant blue crane on the New North Quay – often seen and heard lifting containers on and off ships – will be placed on a barge and moved to a new home, on a new suspended platform close to the existing ‘roll-on, roll-off’ ramps.
Once completed, the new Elizabeth Harbour will be able to handle 34% more freight in a single, secure area, meaning that freight traffic between the New North Quay and the harbour will come to an end, reducing congestion around the underpass.
It will also mean a new route for people driving on and off the car ferry. The outward journey, for example, will involve turning right at the roundabout by Maritime House onto Rue de L’Etau. Passengers will then turn left into a new entrance towards the new terminal, which will be surrounded by new gardens and pieces of art.
Pictured: The new passenger terminal is proposed as a curved structure to the north-west of the current building.
The large wall on the southern side of the Elizabeth Marina will be knocked down, removing the barrier between it and the main harbour and opening up new views of Elizabeth Castle.
Approval from the Committee came with more than 40 planning conditions so there is still a lot of work to do before work begins, including resolving differences with the island's biggest logistics company, Ferryspeed, who formally objected to the application.
Pictured: An aerial view of the planned new harbour, including the curved passenger terminal by the Elizabeth Marina.
Their concerns include how much of a new multi-user freight distribution centre, which will be built mostly on reclaimed land to the east of the Elizabeth Harbour, they will have access to.
Once issues have been hopefully resolved, building is expected to begin this time next year and end towards the end of 2028. The multi-million pound project will be funded by Ports of Jersey, a commercial company which is 100% owned by the public.
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