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Developers have today unveiled £70million plans to “regenerate” two acres of dilapidated land in the north of town with a new 122-room Premier Inn, a complex of 145 apartments, and a new restaurant, bar and shops.
If approved, the ambitious development, which will sit alongside the Freedom Centre (formerly the Odeon cinema), will also involve knocking down buildings to create a single route through from Millennium Park all the way to the Library and into town.
It will also see the addition of more green spaces, as well as wider pavements and street art.
Video: An explanation of the £70million development.
Le Masurier – the local property investment company leading the project – say their bid to revive Bath Street will plough £1.6million into the economy through visitor spend alone, while also creating around 35 new jobs in hospitality and over 70 in construction.
Managing Director Brian McCarthy said that the proposals come in response to the strong local demand for housing, as well as continuing challenges for the island’s tourism industry.
Le Masurier therefore partnered with Premier Inn shortly after they opened their first premises last May, entering into an Agreement to Lease with Whitbread - the chain’s parent company - to bring a second hotel to Jersey.
Pictured: The potential £70million investment aims to breathe new life into two acres of land in the North of town that have fallen into disrepair.
“Our Bath Street Redevelopment represents a significant £70 million investment in St. Helier, helping with the much-needed regeneration of the north of town and boosting tourism and business. In addition, the impressive new residential units will help to meet the demand for housing that the Island has, and St. Helier specifically,” Mr McCarthy explained.
“We are delighted to partner with Whitbread in bringing a second Premier Inn to Jersey. Despite the whole Brexit uncertainty, this demonstrates Le Masurier’s confidence in investment in Jersey and also Whitbread’s confidence in the Island – and follows the success of their first Premier Inn at Charing Cross.
"I believe that this is a real success story for Jersey and will provide a host of social and economic benefits.”
Video: Express checked out the state of the site now, and compared it with how it could look in future, if the Planning application is successful...
Whitbread’s Head of Estate Development, Jacqui Allum, said that the group were “excited” to partner with Le Masurier, adding. “Jersey is a relatively new market for Premier Inn and our confidence to invest further in the Island has been underpinned by the strong performance of our Charing Cross hotel.
“Since opening in July 2018, the Charing Cross Premier Inn has consistently achieved above average occupancy rates and positive guest feedback. This strong performance, along with the high level of interest from our customers searching for Jersey on the PremierInn.com website, has encouraged us to partner with Le Masurier and invest in the Bath Street site.”
St. Helier’s Constable, Simon Crowcroft, equally welcomed the move to regenerate the north of town, explaining: “It will significantly improve business and tourism in the area and, importantly, with more green areas and proposed wider pavements it will considerably improve the look and feel of this significant gateway to town.”
Pictured: Whitbread's partnership with Le Masurier follows the opening of Jersey's first Premier Inn last year.
The proposals will be submitted to the Planning Department for approval in the coming weeks. Before then, the public are invited to view them and leave feedback at the Freedom Centre on 9 and 10 April next week.
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