23 April 2018
Permission to make changes to buildings at St Peter’s Technical Park in readiness for the transfer of hospital catering to the site has been approved by Jersey’s Planning Committee.
Under the proposals, between 8 am and 5 pm five days a week, approximately 40 staff will prepare meals on site from scratch. Ingredients will be delivered, and food will be chilled and transported to hospital sites by electric vehicle three times a day.
There were nine comments on the application. Neighbours had expressed concerns about possible noise, smells and traffic from the facility.
According to the Planning department report on the application (P/2017/1522), the technical park buildings are licensed for light industrial use, and the catering proposals fall into that category.
Regulations state that businesses using the technical park must not ‘cause detriment to the amenities of the area by virtue of noise, vibration, smell, fumes, smoke, soot, ash, dust or grit or effluent.’
Both the applicant and the Planning department believe that there would not be any undue disturbance from the facility. Environmental Health also assessed the proposals and has no objections as long as the applicant puts in place a scheme to reduce any potential noise.
Jersey Property Holdings has agreed to monitor odour levels at the facility and yesterday, during the public meeting, gave a public undertaking to install carbon filters in the unlikely event that any should arise.
When considering the application, planners assessed it against an important planning law condition that development: ‘does not unreasonably harm the amenities of neighbouring uses, including the living conditions for nearby residents, in particular: (a) Not unreasonably affect the level of privacy to buildings and land that owners and occupiers might expect to enjoy.’
This was the final meeting of the current Planning Committee. The first meeting of the new Planning Committee will be 5 July.
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