According to definition a masterplan is a comprehensive plan of action. It is a look into the future plans of a certain area such as a town, city, country or island, in this case Saint Helier in Jersey, and how this specific place can be improved and worked upon in order to make it a better place for its people.

In this specific case looking at the masterplan revolving around the future of the parish physical advancements and work is currently being done such as the construction of Jersey’s new international finance centre and the construction of new accommodation complexes on the waterfront, amongst many other changes. Two main areas of Saint Helier that are currently being looked at specifically above others are The Waterfront and Gas Place, these two areas are undergoing intense planning in the near future, as I said before amongst various other aspects of the ‘Masterplan.’

The development of the new international finance centre is very significant to the future developments that are occurring in St Helier, due to the rapid growth in the finance industry, specifically on the island. Here are some sector statistics from 2016 which show the true extent to which the finance sector is becoming so significant locally…

Overall my views on the future of St Helier, as someone who has lived in the parish my whole life and works in the town of St Helier, are that I am very unsure and intrigued to see how the changes implemented over the years to come will develop the parish either in a positive or negative way, as in some ways I believe that the parish is moving forward in a good way but in other ways it could definitely be approached in an alternative nature. And most importantly of all how it will affect the people of St Helier.

18th century

Until the end of the 18th century, the town consisted chiefly of a string of houses, shops and warehouses stretching along the coastal dunes either side of the Church of St Helier and the adjacent marketplaceThe Royal Square was also the scene of the Battle of Jersey on 6 January 1781, the last attempt by French forces to seize Jersey. George II gave £200 towards the construction of a new harbour – previously boats would be beached on a falling tide and unloaded by cart across the sand.

19th century

Military roads linking coastal defences around the island with St Helier harbour allowed farmers to exploit Jersey’s temperate micro-climate and use new fast sailing ships and then steamships to get their produce to the markets of London and Paris before the competition. This was the start of Jersey’s agricultural prosperity in the 19th century.

20th Century

In the 1960s, income from the Jersey States Lottery was used to excavate a two-lane road tunnel under Fort Regent, enabling traffic from the harbour to the east coast towns to avoid a torturous route around the fort. About the same time, the Fort was converted into a major leisure facility and was linked to the town centre by a gondola cableway – closed and demolished in the 1990s.

21th Century

Liberation Square is now a focal point in the town – the former terminus of the Jersey Railway housed the Jersey Tourism office until 2007

I strongly believe that St Helier is moving forwards with intent to make money with such ongoing projects like the international finance center. Although this is likely to benefit Jersey, these money making investments are orientated towards the finance sector and living complexes which does not positively impact Jersey as a community. Also, the tourism industry is clearly ignored buy the development teams of St Helier with many attractions collapsing and little investment in new leisure facilities.

A clear example of this is how Fort Regent was once considered a hot spot for tourists to the island as well as a great place for locals to spend the day. It provided weather proof activities for all ages but since the 90’s the attraction has been underfunded resulting in the closure of some of its main attractions such as the swimming pool and cable carts. The fact that the fort has continued to go downhill despite the plans to redevelop the whole of St Helier shows that the States of Jersey have lost interest in the islands tourism industry and providing attractions to meet the demands of locals.

In my opinion the future of St Helier should be surrounding a modernization approach with the belief that new types of buildings will increase the high demanding market for finance. Modern buildings such as high-rises are needed in order to move St Helier from being a town into a city which in my opinion would benefit Jersey as it will gives a chaotic atmosphere to which can and could not be found anywhere else. However this does not mean the demolishing of historical buildings but it will enhance their presence with the contrast between the past and present which shows the movement and development within Jersey.