St Helier Waterfront

As part of an international competition, and together with Make architects, we were shortlisted to develop a strategy a key waterfront site in St Helier.

The existing site lacked a unified development strategy and was historically severed from the existing town centre by the Esplanade, a six-lane highway. Previous plans to develop the site were economically unviable, so our aim was to create develop a masterplan framework that is deliverable and creating a cohesive identity and sense of place, reconnected the waterfront to the historic town centre and provide a compatible mix of uses to establish a thriving new neighbourhood and leisure destination.

Key design principles:

• Futureproofing interventions to address the impact of climate change and the concerns of rising sea levels on the wider resort town

• Sustainable residential neighbourhood incorporating activated street-level nodes and focussed around a central green ‘well-being’ spine

• New pedestrian and cycle connections to ‘stitch’ the waterfront and town centre back together

• New beachfront leisure destination including a sea-water lido, art gallery, pier and activated promenade

• Improvements to the Esplanade to create a greener, more pedestrian-friendly environment and more powerful crossing points to reduce the severance between town and waterfront