Select a region
Planning permission has been given to a £120m project to regenerate two acres of town into 238 apartments, a 103-room aparthotel, restaurants, shops and a walkway linking Broad Street and Commercial Street – after being previously rejected by the Planning Committee.
Back in October, Deputy Hilary Jeune rejected an appeal by property company Le Masurier for its ‘Les Sablons’ project against the advice of an independent planning expert.
The move sparked significant backlash – including a controversial public statement from the Chief Minister expressing extreme disappointment – and a Royal Court appeal from Le Masurier.
It was later confirmed that, following legal advice, Deputy Jeune would not be fighting the appeal.
Pictured: An artist's impression of Les Sablons' central courtyard. (Le Masurier)
In doing so, Le Masurier said the Assistant Minister had accepted that her decision was unlawful with regards to two grounds of their appeal: that she had failed to "give due consideration" to the independent planning inspector's findings, and that she had not provided "intelligible and adequate" reasons for the decision.
The Government confirmed today that Infrastructure Minister Tom Binet was appointed as decision-maker under Article 108 of the Planning and Building (Jersey) Law 2002.
He has now signed a Ministerial Decision giving planning permission for the Les Sablons development on Broad Street and Commercial Street.
In granting permission, Deputy Binet considered the appeal papers, Island Plan policies, supplementary planning guidance and the Planning Inspector’s reports.
Deputy Binet said: “I have accepted and agreed with the findings, recommendations and reasoning of the Planning Inspector and see no reason not to grant approval based on the evidence outlined to me.”
Pictured: The proposed view from Charing Cross. (Le Masurier)
Brian McCarthy, Managing Director of Le Masurier, said: “We are obviously delighted with the Minister’s decision to approve Les Sablons.
"It has been a challenging journey spanning many years, as we have gone through this complex and costly process, but we believe that Les Sablons is worth fighting for.
"Our decision to challenge what I believe is a fundamentally broken planning system has paid off.
"I would like to sincerely thank the local community and all those who have supported our vision for Les Sablons for their overwhelming support throughout this process.
"I believe that this is a real success story for Jersey and a positive development for St Helier and our island, as it will deliver the regeneration of over 21⁄2 acres of the centre of town, providing a host of social and economic benefits through tourism, regeneration, housing, leisure, employment, pedestrianised connectivity and placemaking.”
Le Masurier's legal costs will also have to be picked up by Government.
The company declined to provide an exact sum, but Mr McCarthy previously said it would be in the "tens of thousands, not hundreds of thousands".
"Disappointingly it's still a cost, a burden, that taxpayers will have to pick up," he added.
Deputy Jeune had rejected the development, primarily due to its scale, calling its presence "overbearing and oppressive".
She also said it “fails to make a positive contribution to the local character and distinctiveness of the place as it does not successfully respond to its context to ensure that the enhancement of identity, character and the creation of a durable and safe sense of place.”
Pictured: Another view of the proposed scheme. (Le Masurier)
In his report, planning inspector Philip Staddon, had concluded that “the height of the development would not be excessive or inappropriate in this particular case, and that the development would be acceptable in terms of the character and appearance of the area and the townscape”.
He added that “the design and layout of the scheme would achieve good quality accommodation and that it would deliver appropriate living conditions for future occupiers.”
Follow Express for updates...
At the time the plans were launched, Express spoke to Mr McCarthy about the vision for Les Sablons and the wider regeneration of St. Helier...
Comments
Comments on this story express the views of the commentator only, not Bailiwick Publishing. We are unable to guarantee the accuracy of any of those comments.