26 September 2014
Plans for significant retail and residential development in the north of town have been approved – subject to the developers including a proposal to build a multi-storey car park in St Helier.
On Thursday 25 September 2014, the Minister for Planning and Environment, Deputy Robert Duhamel, agreed to a proposal to build a supermarket, car park and new homes on the former Ann Street brewery site.
The application proposes keeping the front of the old brewery building as a wall for a new car park planned for the site. It also includes plans to make St Saviour’s Road safer for pedestrians and motorists.
Jersey Gas deferred
At the Ministerial Planning Meeting, plans for another significant residential and retail development in St Helier by Jersey Gas were put on hold. The company proposes relocating its headquarters to La Collette and developing its current site.
Deputy Duhamel deferred the application to demolish the existing gas works and build nearly 300 new homes, as well as parking, shops and a small park in the area. He wants to carry out a site visit to neighbouring properties and consider representations made by local politicians.
Both applications were welcomed by the Planning Department. In 2011 the States approved a North of Town Masterplan which encouraged investment and regeneration of this area of St Helier.
The Director of Development Control, Department of the Environment, Peter Le Gresley said “The Department of the Environment has worked to encourage major landowners and developers to bring forward sites for development in town – particularly of derelict or semi-derelict sites - and to actively encourage investment in this part of town, and we think the North of Town Masterplan has been a catalyst for positive change in the area.”
Agreement with tenants
At the meeting, Deputy Duhamel also indicated that he would approve an application concerning Ollivier's Farm, Le Mont du Ouaisne, St Brelade.
The applicant, who is also the landowner of the whole Ollivier’s Farm site, wants to demolish four existing chalets and construct three new ones. He has applied unsuccessfully in the past to demolish all the buildings on the site and build eight new cottages.
Deputy Duhamel said he was minded to approve the application, but wanted further discussion and agreement on the rights of the tenants who live on the site.
Sports facilities
Two applications by Victoria College to create three new football pitches and a cricket ground on a field in St Saviour were also deferred.
The scheme received outline planning permission several years ago. In these applications, the school put forward detailed plans to build a junior and senior pitch as well as a five-a-side arena and artificial cricket wicket on Francis Field off Bagatelle Road. A second application proposed a maintenance store and toilets.
The facilities were intended to supplement the school's existing sports grounds, and would also be used for hockey games. The Minister said he was dissatisfied with the details of the proposed plans, in particular the location of the five-a-side pitch and the maintenance store, and would have refused the facilities in their current locations. However, he put the plans on hold to give the school’s governors the chance to reconsider and to allow for amended plans to be re-advertised.
McQuaig’s Quarry
Another long-running application was also discussed. McQuaig's Quarry submitted a retrospective application for permission to run a skip emptying and sorting business at Les Charrieres de Bonne Nuit, St John on behalf of Reg’s Skips Ltd.
The business has occupied the site without permission for a number of years after being asked to leave another site that had been proposed for them. The Minister deferred the application for further consideration.
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