Major building projects approved

15 October 2012

Three major planning applications were approved by the Minister for Planning and Environment, Deputy Rob Duhamel, at a public Ministerial planning meeting on Friday 12 October 2012.

Approval was given by Deputy Duhamel to create a 65-bedroom care home and six-bedroom residence, together with the construction of five new homes, on the Living Legend site in St Peter.

Approval was given for the Southampton Hotel at the Weighbridge to be demolished and replaced by a ground-floor restaurant and four-storey office building with fifth-floor plant storage area.

The Minister also approved an application to demolish existing dwellings and construct 19 residential homes at Keppel Tower, Elizabeth Cottage and Maison du Roc, Grouville.

The Chief Executive of the Planning Department, Andrew Scate, said that the approval of these major schemes was positive news for the Island. Together with a large stock of existing planning permissions, the development of these sites will provide valuable work for the local construction industry.

He said: “The new care home will provide much needed specialist facilities for our ageing population and the scheme also incorporates improved wildlife habitat in the surrounding area.

“The Southampton Hotel scheme is a well-designed building on a key open space and will provide benefits to the public realm. While the development of this site will result in some loss of heritage asset, part of the existing hotel facade will be retained in the development.”

At the same Ministerial planning meeting, the Minister deferred making a decision on the Co-Operative society application to develop a large site on the corner of Dumaresq Street and Pitt Street. The Minister is very supportive of developing this major site in the town centre but concerns still exist in relation to the size of the proposed scheme and protection of listed buildings. The Minister has requested that a scaffold profile is erected on site, which will better demonstrate the scale of the proposed development.

“Good support exists for the development of this area of town, but as with any application received, my department must balance the benefits of the scheme with the impact that a development might have on other stakeholders and the surrounding area,” said Mr Scate.