£3.6 million deal for Plémont goes to the States

Sunday 29 June 2014

The battle to save Plémont goes to the States tomorrow.

Politicians are being asked to spend £3.6 million to secure the site, after the UK millionaire owner agreed a price with the National Trust for Jersey.

The trust want to demolish the old holiday camp on the site and return it all to nature – they say that this could be the last opportunity to save part of Jersey’s coastline, and open it up to the public.

The trust say that they can cover half of the £7.15m price that has been set, but want the States to stump up the other half. Senator Philip Bailhache – who came close to winning States support in December 2012 for the compulsory purchase of the site – is taking the proposition to the States in the hope that they will back the deal.

But there is resistance from some Members who aren’t happy about handing over the cash. Although the price is far lower than the numbers quoted in the last debate 18 months ago, the result still hangs in the balance.

In the meantime, firefighters say that they may never know the cause of the blaze in January that gutted the old Pontins holiday village on the site because all of the asbestos at the site makes it dangerous to inspect properly.

The owner of the site won Planning approval to build luxury homes there last year, but there is still a legal challenge pending by neighbours and St Ouen parishoners who do not want any development to go ahead.