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New Street could soon become home to a new GP surgery and office space if planning applications are approved to change the use of two buildings located in the former retail hub.
Both applications acknowledge the changing face of New Street – with one going so far as to emphasise "modern shopping habits" and the "demise of the retail attract" of this street on the northern side of town.
The first application sees Jersey Model Laundry Co Ltd seeking to transform the ground floor retail unit of 67 New Street, which has been vacant for a "considerable period of time", into a small commercial office space from which to store cars and run the operational aspect of their business.
Pictured: The former shop is located on the corner of Duhamel Street.
The application, with designs from Origin Architecture Studio, includes a letter from the commercial department at Maillard & Co which states that they were unable to "identify an occupier for the space or for any parties with confirmed serious interest despite an extensive three-and-a-half month marketing campaign".
This demonstrates that "there is no market demand for the continued use of the premises for retail", according to the application.
It continues: "The ground floor retail space has been redundant for quite a significant period of time now, its relative remote distance to the town centre and the demise of the retail attract of side streets now coupled with the current economic market and modern shopping habits has advanced the issues with the sustainable retention of a retail use in this location."
Bringing the property back into use with "fairly minor" works will have a "visual benefit" and improve the "public realm and the definition of public and private amenity space along New Street", as well removing the forecourt's ability to attract "unwanted anti-social behaviour" which is causing "nuisance" and "damage".
The four residential units above will remain unaffected by the plans.
Pictured: If approved, the new branch of St Martin Surgery would be located on New Street.
Meanwhile, the second application seeks to turn offices into more GP surgery space for islanders who are less mobile.
St Martin Surgery, with the help of Ian Pallot Chartered Architect, is looking to expand their services with a new town facility based in the ground floor offices at 30 – 32 New Street.
The designs propose three to four GP surgeries, two to three dental surgeries and two to three rooms for other clinical practitioners such as therapists in the ground floor of a property which has also been vacant for some time.
Their application states that St Martin Surgery is "looking to open a town branch to provide medical services to islanders, particularly those in St Helier who have asked to join our practice but can't drive to St Martin".
The GP surgery on the east of the island, owned by Dr Daniel Albert and Dr Phil Terry, started trading in June 2021 and now has around 4,000 patients.
"We feel a town branch will facilitate direct referrals from A&E if needed for those patients requiring primary care," it adds.
"Due to its proposed position in New Street, we expect our new patients to walk or use public transport to attend appointments."
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