Parishioners to vote on £2.9m St. Helier House sale to Andium

Wednesday 19 May 2021

A meeting will be held next week to determine whether St. Helier House should be sold for at least £2.9m, as part of plans to demolish it and build sheltered housing combined with a new nursery.

The Parish Assembly is to be held next Wednesday, and will decide whether the Parish can negotiate with Andium on the sale.

Pictured: Negotiations for the £2.9m sale have been recommended by Procurers and Constable Simon Crowcroft.

The Parish states that the proceeds of the sale would allow them to acquire homes in the new development, which would then be used as sheltered housing, and provide a new building for a Westmount Day Nursery.

If this next step is agreed on, the Parish will be able to negotiate further with Andium, including having detailed drawings and proposals prepared

It comes after over two years of difficulties in deciding the fate of the house – the facility closed in 2017 with 44 elderly residents being rehomed after a series of fire safety problems were discovered in the wake of the Grenfell tragedy.

Pictured: St Helier House was closed in 2017 because of concerns about its flammable cladding after the Grenfell tragedy in the UK.

Given the 1967 building’s flammable cladding and lack of sprinkler system, it was decided that it would not be possible to refurbish the building to an adequate standard, leading the site to be put up for sale. 

A developer, initially anonymous at the time, offered to purchase the site for £2.9m in 2019, the sale fell through just months later due to a last-minute catch added to the deal that would have seen some of the site’s increased land value make its way back to the Parish after development.

Discussion with Andium started in 2019, with the parish announcing a formal partnership with the company and new vision for the site in 2020, and a recommendation from the Constable and Procurers to make the £2.9m sale to Andium following this.