Leale's Yard access demolition approved as major regeneration project advances
- Development and Planning Authority approves demolition of road frontage buildings at Leale's Yard, along with new temporary vehicle access and security fencing for the 6.3-acre regeneration site.
- Six buildings previously protected within the Conservation Area can now be demolished following introduction of the Land Amenity Improvement Notice Ordinance, 2024.
- Approval includes seven conditions requiring revised environmental management plans, ecological protections, and extended tactile paving before work can commence.
- St Sampson Douzaine raises pedestrian safety concerns about the new access road location within a complex mini-roundabout handling high traffic volumes.
- Contaminated land investigation of douit must progress before ground-breaking works can proceed beyond exploratory holes, according to environmental health officials.
The Development and Planning Authority has granted planning permission for significant enabling works at Leale's Yard, approving the demolition of road frontage buildings, installation of security fencing, and creation of a new temporary vehicle access point.
The decision applies to what is described as one of the island's most significant regeneration sites. The 6.3-acre site has been the subject of planning applications for more than 15 years.
The permission grants approval to demolish sections of road frontage buildings along The Bridge and Commercial Road, erect security fencing and hoarding around the southern and eastern boundaries, and create a new gated vehicle entrance from the mini-roundabout at the northern end of The Bridge.
The existing bus shelter will be relocated from its current position to the end of New Road, and a new bus stop will be installed on Vale Avenue.
The approval covers the demolition of buildings that were previously protected under earlier planning permission, which had restricted their demolition to prevent creating an unsightly gap in the street frontage within the Conservation Area.
The planning officer's report explains the change in position: "At the time that application was determined, aside from imposing such a condition, the Authority had no other effective means of preventing or addressing the creation of a gap site should redevelopment be delayed for a prolonged period. However, since the grant of that permission on 11 February 2025, the Land Amenity Improvement Notice Ordinance, 2024 has come into force. This provides the Authority with a mechanism to take action to address such a situation should it arise."
The approval includes seven specific conditions, with three particularly significant requirements.
Demolition cannot commence until a revised Demolition and Construction Environmental Management Plan and Site Waste Management Plan have been submitted and approved in writing by the Authority.
The plan must address comments from the Office of Environmental Health and Pollution Regulation regarding the earlier application.
All works must comply with the ecological mitigation strategy approved under a 2023 application, specifically the Species Protection Plan for the Built Environment at Leale's Yard.
This includes requirements for timing, methods, and mitigations during demolition to protect important ecological features. Extended tactile paving must be installed in specified areas before the new site access can be used, following highway safety consultations.
The States Traffic and Highway Services supported the application but highlighted important caveats.
In their consultation response dated 1 June 2026, THS stated: "This response addresses this application in terms of the access being temporary for the development phase of Leale's Yard. Per previous feedback from THS in respect of an access at the location shown on the plans, once developed the mini-roundabout at the northern end of The Bridge will need to be a signalised junction given the additional vehicle movements in and out of the Leale's site."
THS accepted the temporary access as "the best available option in terms of mitigating conflict between vehicles needing access and egress to/from the site, when compared with the other available points of access (Bridge Avenue and Commercial Road)."
They noted that the anticipated traffic movements during the demolition phase represent "a very small increase in overall vehicle movements at the mini-roundabout."
St Sampson Douzaine submitted detailed comments on 23 May 2026, welcoming the redevelopment measures but raising several road safety and traffic management concerns. On pedestrian safety, the Douzaine stated: "The proposed new access road into Leale's Yard is a two-way road facilitating heavy goods vehicle movements and is to be located within an already complex mini roundabout handling high volumes of traffic.
"Whilst vehicle movements into and out of the site might be minimal during the demolition phase, the walking route is heavily traversed by pedestrians."
The Douzaine expressed concern about the proposed informal crossing point at the head of the new access road, noting that existing courtesy crossings on The Bridge are "set back several metres behind the stop line to enable drivers to consider pedestrian and vehicle movement risks separately."
They recommended either "a formal zebra crossing set back from the junction or, as an absolute minimum, a properly marked courtesy crossing (using different colour tarmac or paving)."
Regarding the proposed new bus stop on Vale Avenue, the Douzaine warned: "It should be noted that at this location there is inadequate space for a shelter or for bus passengers to wait without forcing pedestrians into the road.
"If frequently used, it could also cause traffic congestion in both directions as buses stop to allow passenger to board or alight unless some of the on-road parking at the southern end of Vale Avenue is removed."
The Office of Environmental Health and Pollution Regulation issued caveats in their consultation response of 4 June 2026.
While confirming that requirements for a contaminated land investigation had been met, OEHPR stated: "The possible contamination of the identified douit is of concern and I would encourage the investigation of this with immediate effect. The results ascertained should be shared with the Office of Environmental Health and Pollution Regulation when they are available."
OEHPR added: "There should only be breaking of ground on site to allow for exploratory holes to be made. No further works to break ground should take place until further progress has been made in relation to the contaminated land investigation."
Leale's Yard is located within the Bridge Main Centre Inner Area and forms a large part of the Leale's Yard Regeneration Area, for which a Development Framework was adopted by the Development & Planning Authority in May 2020. The site also includes part of the Core Retail Area on the Bridge frontage and part of the St Sampson Harbour Action Area.
The States acquired the site from the C.I. Co-operative Society. It is preparing for demolition later in 2026.
The site has a lengthy planning history dating back more than a decade. Permission in principle was granted on 22 February 2011 for demolition and redevelopment to provide retail and residential units.
Outline permission was granted on 24 August 2016 for 303 residential units and commercial space.
Further outline permission was granted on 16 November 2022 for 338 residential units, approximately 5,800 square metres of retail floor space, and approximately 8,000 square metres of commercial floorspace.
Revised outline permission was granted on 15 November 2024, varying the scheme to 296 residential units, approximately 4,058 square metres of retail floor space, and approximately 5,380 square metres of office space.
The site lies within a Conservation Area and is near several protected buildings, including Mill Hey Cottage, Orotava, and La Hougue Du Valle Flats in the northeast corner. Under planning law, the Authority has a duty to preserve the special interest of protected buildings and their settings.
The planning officer's assessment concluded: "Taking into account that the proposal intends to demolish derelict and unsightly buildings the proposal would not unacceptably harm the setting of any protected buildings and the proposal accords with Policies GP5 and GP8 in this respect."
The ecological mitigation requirements stem from the Species Protection Plan approved under the earlier application. Condition 5 of the new permission requires strict adherence to this plan, which sets out specific timing, methods, and mitigations for demolition work. An additional condition states: "No vegetation shall be cleared as part of these works unless otherwise agreed in writing by the Authority."
The planning report notes that with the exception of Building 19, all buildings now proposed for demolition were covered by the Species Protection Plan submitted with the previous application. The States Agriculture Countryside and Land Management Service was consulted and recommended the condition requiring compliance with the approved plan.
The approved vehicle entrance features a bell-mouth design at the mini-roundabout, with Give-Way road markings at the kerb boundary. THS commented: "This does however mean that there is some potential conflict with pedestrians walking/crossing the road section (across the entrance), but given the Give-Way road markings, drivers egressing the site should be slowing towards the junction."
The entrance will be gated, with the gates recessed within the access to prevent obstruction. A pedestrian access path is provided on the southern side of the entrance.
The existing bus shelter will be relocated from its current position at the proposed site entrance to the end of New Road, approximately one metre south of its current location.
THS stated: "It will require further work (not shown on the plans) to move the existing pedestrian zebra crossing a short distance, in order that when a bus stops to alight or board passengers, that the bus is not stopped on the existing crossing." A new bus stop will be established on Vale Avenue to serve passengers at the northern end of The Bridge.
THS noted: "There is not sufficient footway width to enable a shelter though" at this location.
The approval includes installation of hoarding made from recycled plastic along sections of Commercial Road and The Bridge frontage.
A two-metre-tall chain-link fence will be erected to the rear of properties along La Hougue Du Valle. The drawings indicate the hoarding will screen the demolition site from public view and may include space for potential public art and contractor's site boards.
Under Condition 2, the development must begin within three years of the grant date, meaning works must commence by 9 June 2029, or the permission will lapse.
The cover letter from Mark Ogier, Director of Estates at the States Property Unit, explained: "Currently there is a permission in place for the demolition of the majority of the buildings on the Leale's Yard site and this application intends to allow the frontage buildings to be demolished at the same time to provide better value for money."
St Sampson Douzaine noted in their submission: "In the longer-term serious consideration will need to be given to amending and improving the existing parking and road layout of the Bridge frontage and it is to be expected that all relevant opportunities to assist in this process will be accommodated within future phases for the development of Leale's Yard."
The Douzaine concluded: "St Sampson Douzaine is supportive of the proposed initial measures to aid the much overdue redevelopment of Leale's Yard subject to the important road safety and traffic management concerns highlighted above."
Q&A
Q: What buildings have been approved for demolition at Leale's Yard?
A: Buildings numbered 1, 2, 3, 11, 12, and 19 along The Bridge and Commercial Road frontages have been approved for demolition. These structures were previously protected under planning permission FULL/2023/1549 to prevent creating a gap in the Conservation Area street frontage.
Q: When can demolition work begin at the site?
A: Demolition cannot commence until a revised Demolition and Construction Environmental Management Plan and Site Waste Management Plan have been submitted and approved in writing by the Authority. Extended tactile paving must also be installed before the new site access can be used. Ground-breaking works beyond exploratory holes cannot proceed until the contaminated land investigation progresses.
Q: What are the main concerns raised by St Sampson Douzaine?
A: The Douzaine raised pedestrian safety concerns about the new two-way access road within an already complex mini-roundabout handling high traffic volumes. They recommended a formal zebra crossing or properly marked courtesy crossing, and warned that the proposed Vale Avenue bus stop has inadequate space for passengers without forcing pedestrians into the road.
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