St Peter Port Harbour Action Area Summary Constraints Plan
St Peter Port Harbour Action Area Summary Constraints Plan - click to enlarge
Commercial harbour activity
A key activity within the St Peter Port HAA is the commercial harbour which is the focus for freight and passenger transport to and from the island. Requirements for handling unitised freight may change over time in terms of volumes and commodities and the port may need up to 5,000 sqm additional capacity over next 10 years.
Potential for complete relocation of unitised freight to Longue Hougue raises significant opportunities for rethinking what St. Peter Port Harbour contributes to the town and local people.
Currently there are conflicts between different users on the harbour, focussed around the port operations, leisure ferries, car parking, and pedestrian movement. There is some concern that uses aren’t coordinated as well as they might be and that there is a lack of synergy with Town.
Tourism and leisure
Lots of people come to Guernsey for tourism and many of them come to St Peter Port which is a great asset. However, there isn’t enough for all age groups to do and a particular gap for children and activities in wet weather. Some visitor uses e.g. cruise tenders, can clash with other activities.
There are a number of small scale museums and art galleries in St Peter Port and opportunities have been identified for new visitor attractions.
Active travel connections
There is a lack of safe attractive pedestrian/cycle environment across the harbour area particularly where conflicts exist between different users, associated with existing port operations and existing vehicular routes.
There is a significant opportunity to improve the arrival experience for all through features such as enhanced signage, wayfinding and information boards, and conveniently located facilities.
Heritage and character
St Peter Port, in its position as the oldest settlement on the island, benefits from significant positive heritage character in the winding streets of Town. The harbour area also has a lot of heritage features but this strong character is mixed with poor quality environments.
At the moment the heritage features often sit at odds with the more operational harbour activities. It is noted that some historic cranes were recently retained within the operational harbour.
The Marine Leisure sector
The vibrant marine leisure sector in St Peter Port offers potential for growth and adding value. There is an identified opportunity for a new pool marina that would create additional space for yachts and other medium sized boats in the middle of the harbour, off Victoria and Albert Piers. The best landing point for a new pool Marina need to be worked out.
Land side facilities to support the existing marinas and for visiting boats is identified as a gap that needs to be addressed.
Flood risk
Due to the steep topography, St Peter Port has a relatively low vulnerability to flooding, however most of the harbour, existing piers and the sea front would be affected by coastal flooding in the long term. This is predicted to get worse with climate change as sea level rise and storms become more intense. The harbour is generally well protected from wave action by the existing harbour piers and breakwaters, however in the more exposed Havelet Bay, coastal defences are overtopped by waves during intense storms.
Climate adaptation and flood risk mitigation measures will need to accompany redevelopment proposals. The regeneration of the harbour offers an opportunity to respond holistically to climate change, help the island achieve Net Zero Carbon by 2050, as well as protecting and enhancing biodiversity.
Opportunities for development
There is currently an under supply of new housing to meet the island’s housing need (particularly affordable housing), and there will also be a requirement for new commercial office space during the plan period, alongside a need to protect the retail uses in Town.
To accommodate demand for housing, leisure and commercial floorspace (including offices and retail) and to optimise the use of the harbours, significant development opportunities could be identified on some of the piers but only if space can be freed up e.g. by relocating the harbour, reducing or decking car parking. Opportunities for new development can only come about if other land uses are reduced or more land is created or reclaimed.
Combined with the demand for new floorspace, there are opportunities to attend to the ageing building stock in Town (both industrial and commercial), and an opportunity to retrofit and refurbish these uses.
Space for people
In St Peter Port there is a real challenge in terms of space for people to walk around safely and conveniently along the waterfront and avoid cars and traffic.
Key pinch points include along the Esplanades, the car parks and places on the Piers where multiple uses overlap. This discourages people walking and cycling and feeling safe. Seafront Sundays have been a really successful way of looking at how to address this problem for a limited period.
There is little space in St Peter Port HAA that can be used for people to gather, chat and meet without it also being used for something else.
Extent of surface car parking
The existing car parks on the harbours take up a large percentage of their surface area and limit other activities. Car parking is all free to use for different timescales and does not encourage users to consider sustainable or active travel. There are reports of congestion caused by those driving between car parks trying to find a space or to move between parking zones.
