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A public inquiry into the new future hospital planning application, which will explore the planning issues in depth, will take place the week beginning 17 September 2018 - the second into the proposed £466million development.
The inquiry will be held at St. Paul's Centre and led by Philip Staddon, the same independent inspector who considered the first application for the new hospital and which was reviewed in a public inquiry in November 2017.
In January, the Minister for the Environment, Deputy Steve Luce, rejected a previous planning application for the hospital after Mr Staddon found it "grossly out of scale of the immediate surroundings." Speaking at the time, Deputy Luce said: "It will certainly be visible, of which the effect will be over-dominent, intrusive and alien - and I cannot ignore his opinion... The challenges of scale and mass cannot be finessed away through clever design at a later date.
“The words dramatic, serious and detrimental has been used a number of times (in the report) as well as stark, out of scale, significant and severe. These are serious words... therefore I have decided this application to be refused."
Video: The States presented the revised plans for the Future Hospital in a video.
New plans were then drawn up showing a lower but wider development, with some parts up and running earlier than under previous plans. Under new plans the new hospital would stand at 34 metres high, which is lower than the current 1980’s hospital block, and with a wider footprint, which will be built three storeys tall increasing to six storeys in the centre of the development, without encroaching on anymore surrounding buildings than the ones previously included.
To do so the Future Hospital Project Team will be using more of the original hospital building, which was previously kept aside in the original plan as scope to grow the health facilities to meet future demands – therefore shortening the lifespan of the new £466 million capital project.
A new planning application, which includes the demolition of Stafford Hotel and Revere Hotel which still have to be purchased, was then. submitted in April. Under the revised planning application, some areas of the current hospital building will also be knocked down including Peter Crill House, the Gwyneth Huelin Wing, Westaway Court and the 1960’s and 1980’s blocks to make way for the new hospital
Pictured: the revised development plan is said to fit “into the skyline of St. Helier much more comfortably.”
The Minister for the Environment, Deputy Steve Luce decided to hold a public inquiry for the revised hospital application, as it is "a significant piece of public infrastructure."
Philip Staddon said he welcomes views from any resident, business or organisation about the planning application for the new hospital and that the inquiry team will ensure that anyone who wants to speak gets the chance to do so.
Islanders can give their views in writing by sending a "statement of case" of no more than 1,500 words to the programme officer, Helen Wilson, care of the Department of the Environment, before 6 July. They can also make their views known in person at the public hearing, in which case they need to contact the public inquiry programme before 6 July.
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