Campsite gets approval for pods made from recycled bottles

Friday 08 September 2023

A popular campsite in St. Ouen has been given approval to add five accommodation 'pods' made out of wood and 4,500 recycled plastic bottles.

The pods would be installed along the southern perimeter of The Palms, which is along Route de Vinchelez between Grève de Lecq and Plémont.

Permission was granted during a meeting of the Planning Committee yesterday.

In it, the group of politicians on the Committee went against the recommendation of the Planning Officer in backing the proposal. They argued that it would be a strong boost for tourism and would not cause unacceptable harm to the landscape.

Each pod will only be available when the campsite is open between April and October and have an electric bike charging point. They will be built in a wood and tile style, and each made out of - among other things - 4,500 recycled plastic bottles.

However, the Palms had a separate application – to change the use of a two-bedroom staff apartment, which it doesn't need, to residential – rejected.

The application was opposed by the Planning department because the site would be "an unsustainable location for the creation of a new dwelling, and there is no overriding reason to justify the proposed change of use".

Campsite owner Janie Pinglaux addressed the committee, saying that The Palms used to have 60 pre-erected family house tents before she and her husband bought the site four years ago.

They had since reduced this to 30 pitches which she and her family managed, which is why extra staff were no longer needed. She argued that there was a shortage of housing in Jersey and this was a ready-to-use unit, which would also generate revenue to re-invest back into the campsite.

Pictured: Janie Pinglaux and her husband Francis took over the Palms Campsite four years ago.

However, members of the Planning Committee agreed with the Planning Officer’s recommendation, adding that it would be wrong to permanently detach the unit from the campsite. Several members, including Constables Philip Le Sueur and Marcus Troy, suggested that the dwelling would be better used as a self-catered holiday let. 

Despite the rejection, Mrs Pinglaux thanked the committee for their input and said it had given her lots of ideas.

Pictured top: An example of a camping pod in Buckden, Yorkshire.