Misc, load of bollards

 Time to get out of the way some misc shots from the last few weeks...  Grouville beach and common...

 .. closer.

 You don't see so many of these any more, so I thought I'd snap one for old times sake, while there's still one left (Rozel - also one at La Place).

 Looks so lonely without anyone in costume around it :)

 The joy of Jersey, you drive around a corner in a lane and suddenly a view like this presents itself.

 The Dolmen Hougue des Geonnais - I can't help thinking it was a bit more open with less gorse around it last time I was there a few years back?

 Having found a way down a farm track (or three) to the coastal path, a quick shot of the coast in the evening light...

 .. Devil's Hole from a distance...

 .. and the reservoir building at Mourier Valley (there's often a good waterfall here, when the water table permits, going over the cliff onto the pebble beach).

 A tower in Grouville that's currently involved in plans to build a load of new homes around it.

 The path from the slipway near the Seymour Inn, starts as it means to carry on, but then gets narrower and narrower with hedges intruding, and finally gets impossible so we have to climb down to beach level (tide permitting of course).

 Eventually you end up on the beach for lack of a path, but you can nip back to the main road some way before Le Hurel Slip, using this footpath, to shorten a quick circular walk.

Originally, Oxford Road was a fairly long and winding affair, shown in yellow here... (Also in orangey colour, L'Avenue et Dolmen du Pré des Lumières and La Rue Le Masurier which are nearly 20 years young... they were created in the mid 1990s, the Coop Grande Marche was opened in Nov 2001, and the roads officially classified as Main Roads in 2002, La Rue Le Masurier now being part of the tortuous route of the circulatory systems of the ring road)...

 ... it cut through the middle of the Gas Place car parks. Now the new Town Park has done away with a stretch of it, leaving us with an absurd little stump of Oxford Road separated from the rest! Perhaps it could be more logically incorporated into Robin Place?

 Still, at least it's not the shortest road in Jersey, which possibly goes to Le Passage Gosset by the museum - little more than a parking space!

 While we're in the new park, here's the view towards David Place showing a path on what was part of Oxford Road...

 .. and the other way, a view featuring what's left of the gas holder - for how long?

 A park of tellytubby grassy knolls and some art installations. Definitely worth millions ;)

 .. except for local businesses who found their customers can't get there easily any more. The cafe here is still going, but the hair salon closed. Note also the over-the-top expensive paving, only recently finished and already marked by tyre rubber. No expense spared, but give us a pavement way too wide and do away with even more parking :(

 As if it wasn't bad enough, now it's sprouted some large signs!

 Railings, railings, railings...

 .. the spread of micromanagement and more and more bollards...

 .. now making an utter eyesore of the Weighbridge!

 Dear oh dear oh dear ... was the occasional parking there really so bad that this is better?!

Trust a private development to make their bollards interesting - this new batch at new offices on the old Swanson's site next to Payn St. (Esplanade to Seaton Place)... nicely varied and subtle... 10/10.

Gas Place - car park to Town Park

Beating the local 'mainstream' media to it (they can't bring you pictures from a Saturday event before Monday afternoon, and if the TV news people do actually work on a weekend for a change, it will go to air in a very short bulletin at a random time when people are busy doing other things, like trying to avoid enduring some idiot clowning about with Oscar Puffin) like only Citizens' Media can!


First, let's revisit the carpark on its last day...







.. closer.







900 spaces lost...






.. no wonder businesses around here are giving up.






Last day amongst the last parkers.






A brickwork floor from the previous gas works.





So the JEP publish a letter on the opening day denying it was Stuart Syvret's idea, whereas he claims it was, as does the actual article in the same issue, written after speaking to the campaigners behind it!



It will be interesting to compare the ugly mugs of the politicians present on the opening day attempting to claim credit - with the actual voting record from the day when the infamous 'ringbinder' carried the vote.




This seems so long ago now!






The hoarding made this road more of a tunnel.






And work starts...

.. and several millions later...




.. here it is. With no underground parking that we all wanted.






An enclosed basketball court.




Good sized playground. One good fun piece of equipment span fast enough to threw off some children and resulted in a few twisted ankles, so expect it to be removed.




More pictures to follow, if I can be bothered to walk from the nearest parking the other side of town :)

Don't expect to be able to park nearby to enjoy the park - all the spaces around here are Residents Only. Local Spaces for Local People - and stuff the rest of us!

Remembering Gas Place car park

As the new Town Park is about to be revealed, I thought why not look back at the car park as it was - it seems quite some time ago now.

It's almost as much fun taking pictures from Google Streetview as it as in real life!


From David Place




I don't really need to label these, as you'll either recognise the scenes or - if you're really bothered - you could take a drive in Streetview for yourself!



Coming soon, photos from the last day inside the car park, and the start of work to create the car-free park.







.. and at some point, the new park of course :)