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WEB History
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Before WEB came into existence two major studies were carried out by consultants employed by the States. The report by Andrews Downie in 1992 was accepted by the States, with the notable exceptions for a marina at Havre des Pas and the provision of housing. When the original Board was appointed in 1993 it was asked to review the Andrews Downie Report and employed consultants Drivers Jonas and Tibbalds Monro to undertake this task. Their review established that elements of the Andrews Downie Report (such as moving the working port from Elizabeth Harbour to Victoria Pier) were unworkable. However, the proposals produced by Drivers Jonas and Tibbalds Monro failed to find support in the States nor, indeed, to excite the public.
The Waterfront Enterprise Board Limited is wholly owned by the public of the Island represented by the States of Jersey. The company was incorporated in Jersey on 21st February 1996 when 1 million shares of £1 each were issued to the States of Jersey. On the 18th March 1997, the Company’s authorised share capital was increased from £1 million to £20 million of which £10.5 million was issued and fully paid as at 31st December 1998.
WEB’s main objectives were to promote, co-ordinate and implement a comprehensive strategy for the development of the Waterfront.
The States required WEB to provide space on the West of Albert for an international hotel, a leisure pool, housing and public open space.
Waterfront 2000
The Waterfront 2000 consultation exercise held in June 2000 which was hosted by the Planning & Environment Committee was useful, not only in mapping out the future but also in drawing a line under the past. The draft framework produced by Waterfront 2000 was independently assessed by the relevant States bodies but full implementation of all aspects of the plan was subject to the availability of States funding.
Nevertheless, the Waterfront 2000 planning exercise gave everyone a chance to have their views taken into account and to better appreciate the complexity of the issues surrounding the development of the Waterfront.
The Board continued in the vein of the consultation process of Waterfront 2000 and sought the opinions of a random sample of the Island Community, after providing it with the essential information on which to base its informed view. The outcome appeared to show a change of heart since Waterfront 2000 and subsequently the Masterplan was revisited with the new Planning Authority.
The Masterplan, which was agreed by the Planning and Environment Committee with the Board in early 2001, contained a number of new elements. In particular, the creation of one or more pedestrian bridges connecting the Esplanade across to the new developments was identified as a top priority. It was decided to hold an architectural competition for the proposed bridge and the response from the designers was fantastic. However, the pedestrian bridge never went ahead because of the cost implications.
In April 2002 the States agreed to give WEB secure tenure, and in some cases freehold, title to certain key plots of land West of Albert. The resulting transfer process began in 2003, and with the exception of the Weighbridge, was completed in 2004.
2003 also saw the States of Jersey make the decision to transfer a prime development site overlooking the Elizabeth Marina to Les Pas Holdings Limited in settlement of a long running legal dispute between the States of Jersey and that Company. Whilst WEB played no direct part in the negotiations, the Board respected the decision of the States to use this asset to settle the dispute and prepared to work with the owner of the land to create the best development possible on the marina edge.
During 2003, a new Masterplan evolved to reflect the changing economic situation within the Island and focussed on its two key objectives to create a Premier Business District and Premier Visitor Destination in the Channel Islands.
In 2004 WEB formed a strategic partnership with Jersey Harbours to ensure that development of the wider waterfront was accomplished in a manner that met the needs of a modern commercial port as well as an area in which to work, live and play.
Also in 2004, the Waterfront Community Development Plan was formulated and launched. The Plan focussed on the delivery of non-commercial projects alongside the fund-generating commercial schemes which were already being implemented with WEB’s private sector partners.
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Contact Us
Waterfront Enterprise Board
Ground Floor
Harbour Reach
La Rue de Carteret
St Helier JE2 4HR
Tel: +44 (0)1534 617449
enquiries@jerseywaterfront.je
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