St Clement
St. Clement, Jersey's smallest parish, functions as high-density (2,262/km²) residential overflow for St. Helier with 8% population growth (2011-2021).
St. Clement represents Jersey's paradox of smallness and density—the island's smallest parish by area (just over 1,000 acres) yet one of its most densely occupied at 2,262 people per km². The southeastern coastal position created a parish that functions as St. Helier's overflow, population concentrating along the shore where land values reflect proximity to both beach and business district.
The parish's 8% population growth between 2011-2021 marked second-fastest in Jersey, residential development absorbing demand that St. Helier could not accommodate. This bedroom community function means employment largely occurs elsewhere—commuters traveling to St. Helier's finance offices while maintaining addresses in St. Clement's lower-density housing. The built environment dominates parish character, agriculture squeezed to margins that shrink with each residential development.
Coastal identity persists despite urbanization, the shoreline providing recreational amenity that distinguishes St. Clement from purely suburban parishes elsewhere. Whether continued growth transforms St. Clement into mere St. Helier extension—or whether the parish maintains distinct identity through its coastal orientation—depends on planning decisions that demographic pressure complicates.