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The planning inspector who oversaw the reviews into rejected plans to revamp the current hospital has been appointed to run the independent planning inquiry into the new £800m ‘health campus’ at Overdale.
Environment Minister Deputy John Young officially appointed Philip Staddon BSc, Dip, MBA (Distinction), MRTPI to conduct an inquiry last week.
Mr Staddon will be asked to consider the roughly 200 planning application documents, as well as representations from Government officials, members of the public and other interested parties before giving his verdict to the Environment Minister.
Deputy Young has the final say, and will choose to accept or reject the application after considering the inspector’s view.
It’s expected that the inquiry will take place in late Spring, with Deputy Young announcing his decision in June.
Following a week-long public inquiry in November 2017, Mr Staddon recommended that plans to expand and modernise the current hospital at Gloucester Street be rejected on the grounds that the result would be an “over-dominant, obtrusive and alien structure” that would be “grossly out of scale” with its surroundings, harming both neighbouring properties and the wider townscape.
His finding was accepted by the then-Environment Minister Deputy Steve Luce, who rejected the development.
Pictured: The previous Future Hospital plan to redevelop Gloucester Street.
Government officials reworked the Gloucester Street plans, re-presenting them following the elections in 2018.
However, while Mr Staddon concluded that the updated version was an improvement, he said the proposed building was still too large and likely to have an “exceptionally severe” impact on the build’s dozens of neighbouring residents.
Deputy John Young accepted his recommendation and threw out the application, which led the current Council of Ministers to go back to the drawing board, and instead select Overdale as their preferred site.
Video: Deputy Young explaining why he decided to reject the second Gloucester Street hospital planning application.
Mr Staddon is now preparing the timetable for the Overdale inquiry, and finalising arrangements for members of the public to be able to take part in the hearings and share their views on the proposed development.
On appointing Mr Staddon for the upcoming inquiry, Deputy Young commented: "I am pleased to appoint Philip Staddon as the inspector for the inquiry. I know that his years of experience, especially with planning matters in Jersey, will ensure that the process is robust and comprehensive.
“I look forward to receiving his report in 2022."
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