Introduction to development scenarios

The Local Planning Brief approach to change over time

The analysis, research and testing we have undertaken has shown that the most beneficial changes may only be possible if some existing uses are reorganised and relocated within the harbours, and appropriate flood mitigation is put in place. This would free up space for new development, enabling the island to attract investment and create wider benefits to the towns and the island as a whole (and meet the objectives of this project).

To understand how the draft vision and enablers could be achieved, we have started to test out a range of different approaches to development and change over time. What this demonstrates is that there are essentially two “phases” of change that the Local Planning Brief will need to plan for. These are:

• Short/medium term changes (up to 10-15 years). Working with short-term and localised flood risk, ongoing reorganisation of some uses e.g. fuel storage, and key decisions on car parking to be tested out and taken forward. It is important that what happens on key sites within this period does not prevent or limit the longer-term potential and greater benefits being realised, including new homes, offices, and better public realm.
• Longer-term changes (20 years+). Will require area-wide flood risk mitigation and key constraints such as fuel storage and port reorganisation/relocation to be addressed before significant change can come forward.

Five development scenarios

To inform the LPB, five different development scenarios consider what could be achieved across both harbours if different choices are made around key land uses and activities, environmental protections and flood risk mitigation. The potential for change could be very different depending on a few key strategic moves and related infrastructure delivery (see flow diagram right).

Some interventions are possible irrespective of timescales or a decision on a new harbour e.g. some changes to car parking, active and sustainable travel, visitor economy and marine industries.

With a key focus of the Local Planning Brief being around attracting investment and improving the harbours for the benefit of all, it is important that we consider who these changes would benefit and any concerns they raise for local communities. The scenarios in the LPB will be based on boards 9-12 updated following your feedback.

How will multiple scenarios work in the Local Planning Brief?

The LPB is a strategic planning document and must include at least one proposals map, as well as policies or principles that enable decisions to be made around future change as planning applications are submitted.

Given the different approaches needed to phasing and the potential relocation of the port opeations, it is liely that several different proposals maps showing different scanerios will be included in the LPB as well as a "decision-tree" to guide the process.

St Peter Port Existing Land Use Plan - click to enlarge

As they are, the harbours host a variety of uses, some of which work well in combination, and others which cause some conflict. In St Peter Port, the existing uses such as the port and car parking take up nearly all of the harbour areas and so there are very limited opportunities for change and new development. This limits any new development to small scale and localised low-risk interventions with minimal benefits.

St Sampson Existing Land Use Plan - click to enlarge

St Sampson’s uses include the town centre uses at The Bridge, and large areas of heavy industrial and light industrial uses. The town centre of St Sampson actually occupies a relatively small section of the overall HAA. What can’t be seen on this land use plan (but is shown on the constraints plan on board 2) is the impact that existing “bad neighbour’ uses (such as the fuel storage) have on future development opportunities, and the impact heavy vehicle traffic and HGVs on The Bridge.

Land use plans key - click to enlarge