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A St Helier Deputy has welcomed a "long overdue" plan to invest £750,000 in upgrading the playgrounds opposite the General Hospital – noting that she remembers playing on the same outdated equipment as a child.
The money was approved at a St Helier Parish Assembly meeting on Wednesday attended by approximately 60 ratepayers.
The current Parade Gardens amenities were described as "outdated".
Pictured: Proposed plans for the new playgrounds at Parade Gardens. (Redlynch)
The new plans include a tyre trail, trampoline, climbing dome, and slide for older children.
The area for younger children will also have a playhouse, spinning dish, giant rope snake, and hammock swing.
Constable Simon Crowcroft said: "It will make St Helier a better place for those who live and work there."
A St Helier politician has also welcomed the upgrades to a park that she said has barely changed since her childhood.
I also remember playing in it as a child, and on some of the existing play equipment. Which means it is long overdue for an upgrade!
— Deputy Lyndsay Feltham (@lyndsayfeltham) July 10, 2024
Deputy Lyndsay Feltham took to social media to thank the parish for listening to concerns about the need to improve and update the play area.
In a statement, she added: "I am hoping that the Parish will provide more up-to-date equipment that will improve the opportunities for play in the area. The current play area is very outdated and old, and well overdue for replacement.
"The play area at Parade Gardens is very important for families living in St Helier, many of whom do not have gardens or a very limited outdoor space. The play area is very well-used and serves as a hub for the community."
The Parish Assembly also approved £490,000 of funding for "public realm enhancements" on Poonah Road and Pomona Road.
This forms part of the Neighbourhood Improvement Areas scheme, which was launched in 2022 to deliver public realm enhancements for local communities.
The Poonah and Pomona Road project is the first of five designated areas to be transformed into community spaces with more amenities and fewer cars.
Proposals for these roads include more green space, bins, wider pavements, improved walking and cycling amenities, and traffic-calming measures.
Pictured: An artist’s impression of Pomona Road, looking towards Poonah Road, featuring wider pavements, more trees and a traffic-calming chicane.
Constable Crowcroft explained that the approved funding covers just under half of the total project cost.
"Parishioners expressed the view that Government should be contributing towards the cost of making St Helier a better place to live," he added.
With new housing concentrated in town, he said: "It's not fair to expect St Helier rate-payers to have a lesser quality of life than people living in more rural parishes."
He added that he would be making "a very strong argument" for the case in the Council of Ministers, where he holds the role of Assistant Infrastructure Minister.
"It's a small part of a large programme," he said, which could serve as a "catalyst" for further change in the island.
The decision-making body also approved a rate increase by 5.6% to 1.32 pence per quarter, which Mr Crowcroft stressed was in line with the rate of inflation.
The change equates to a £5.80 annual increase for the occupier of a one-bedroom flat and £22.37 for an owner-occupier of a three-bedroom dwelling.
This comes after a period of eight years during which the rates were not increased – followed by an 8.7% increase last year.
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