Gov signs 99-year lease with parish for new school field in St John

Monday 30 October 2023

Half a field in St John will be leased by the parish to the Government for 99 years in order for the nearby primary school to get a new sports field.

Infrastructure Minister Tom Binet has recently signed an order to approve the decision to lease field ‘J525’, which is off Rue de la Mare Ballam, just south of the parish hall and school.

It means that the Government will take control of the field in order to lay a 3G pitch with a grass track around it, and create raised allotments and growing areas for the school. There will also be a hoggin footpath around the perimeter.

Field J525 has been split into two with the eastern half making way for 16 three-bedroom first-time buyer homes, which are being sold through the Housing Gateway with priority given to St John families. 

As part of a planning agreement, the developer has gifted the western half to the parish, with the transaction expected to go through the Royal Court this Friday.

Now with the ministerial decision, this land will be leased to the Government for £100 a year for 99 years.

Separately, the developer has submitted a separate planning application to dispose of a condition which prevents any house to be sold until the playing field is up and running.

Some parishioners have objected, fearing that the field may not be completed, although St John Constable Andy Jéhan is supporting the variation, as the sale and lease have both been agreed.

One of the reasons for the delay in starting work on the field, he said, had been because updated plans – which reduce the size of the 3G pitch following feedback from the school's new headteacher – had been submitted in February but only validated by Planning in August.

When the new school field opens is dependent on if and when the updated project gets planning permission. Two previous iterations have already been approved.