Snow Hill Gardens Regeneration, Jersey

About This Project

HISTORY OF SNOW HILL

Snow Hill has historically been a place of great importance for St Helier.

The site was originally home to the St Helier (Snow Hill) Train Station for the Eastern Jersey Railway in 1874, before a bus station was developed there in 1932. Finally, in 1970, when Fort Regent became a tourist destination, a cable car station was established to transport visitors to the Fort. The cable cars were extremely popular and continued to operate until the service closed in the late 1980s.

For many years now the East of Town has deteriorated while the waterfront to the west has seen substantial investment and development.

Snow Hill has sadly been neglected and has become an eyesore and an undesirable place.

REGENERATING SNOW HILL

We believe there is an exciting opportunity to regenerate Snow Hill.

By transforming the disused land and public WCs into an exciting urban park, a much needed public space for the east side of town will be created.

A well-designed public urban park on this key site will not only act as an urban design landmark and a new destination for St Helier, but will serve as a catalyst for change and intervention for this quarter of town and its surrounding areas.

The existing unsightly public WCs will need to be demolished but importantly not lost as they can be relocated and integrated within the level changes of the Park’s design. The substation and taxi rank must be relocated elsewhere.

There is a real possibility to introduce at least two high-speed lifts attached to the cliff-face at the rear of the site, transporting the public to the Fort’s historic ramparts which would offer outstanding views, the provision of much more public space and a fresh perspective over St Helier.

An additional intervention would be the pedestrianisation of the small section of Snow Hill and the first half of La Motte Street which will create further opportunities, reinvigorating La Motte Street and its commercial outlets. The regeneration of this area, in general, will also greatly benefit La Colomberie.

URBAN PARK: DESIGN

The design of this landmark urban park’s new landscape is crafted out of an understanding of the inhospitable nature of the current site, which is currently neglected and exhausted.

The design is inspired by the formation of Jersey’s sand dunes; how sand troughs and ridges are formed by the wind and resisted by the Maron grass. Ridges and level changes throughout the park facilitate unique spaces and shelter park-users from the prevailing winter winds. The aspiration is to create an appropriate natural environment which can be enjoyed throughout the year.

CONCLUSION

Uplifting Snow Hill by creating an urban park and new public space, leading to external Fort Regent lifts, as well as the pedestrianization of first half of La Motte Street are all important potential urban interventions which will act as catalysts for the regeneration of this part of town, contributing to a renewed enthusiasm, focus and access to the Fort, its outstanding views and its future prospects.