10 February 2015
Following reports that works on the Esplanade Quarter project have commenced without planning permission, the Department of the Environment issued the following statement:
The removal of the trees and shrubs carried out by the States of Jersey Development Company (SoJDC) relates to the planning permission for building no. 4 on the Esplanade Quarter site, which was approved in August 2013. This work is not related to the current planning application for building no. 5 which has not yet been determined.
The planning permission for building no. 4 allowed for the construction of a temporary car park (south of the underpass) on which work has commenced, with the full agreement of Planning and Building Services.
The recent removal of the trees and shrubs on the Esplanade car park was accepted as part of the planning permission for building no.4. While the department has not agreed final replacement landscape details with SoJDC, it accepts that the removal of the current planting accords with the planning permission.
While it has been claimed that some wildlife has been removed from the site the department is not aware of any breaches of the Wildlife (Jersey) Law 2000.