Asian ‘vibz’ coming to Havre des Pas as major housing plan shelved

Friday 26 August 2022

The long-closed Caribbean Vibz premises is to finally reopen with a new culinary ‘vibe’ after multiple bids to transform it into a controversial housing development were refused.

The new restaurant, Saffron, promises to offer "the finest Indian and Asian cuisine".

Owners say they plan to open at the beginning of October subject to refurbishments being completed on time.

It will be one of several new culinary additions to the Havre des Pas area in recent years, alongside The Good Egg and, more recently, Hooray Henris.

The area is undergoing significant regeneration, with Andium developments underway at the top and bottom of Green Street – The Limes and La Collette – and the development of the former Fort d’Auvergne Hotel. 

Plans to convert a car park at the bottom of Green Street towards the slipway into housing have also been recently floated.

The initial planning application to create housing on the Caribbean Vibz site was submitted in January 2018.

 However, it was withdrawn amid fears the development would drive away visitors to the area, lead to increased traffic, and make the area "soulless". 

Pictured: The differences between versions of the planning applications.

Taking into account the various public representations received, which included a letter from the National Trust and the owners of the neighbouring Marina Metro Hotel, Mevanna presented updated plans for the 20 flats - 19 one-bedroom flats and one two-bedroom flat – replacing the private gym and pool, with a ground floor café and an al-fresco area open to the public.

However, those changes were not enough to gain the approval of neighbours or of the Planning Committee, which eventually rejected the plans due to concerns over the impact the building would have on its neighbours, particularly the Marina Metro Hotel.

To answer those concerns, Mevanna scaled down the number of flats to 17 - 10 one-bedroom and seven two-bedroom ones – and scrapped the mezzanine levels on the fifth floor to reduce the overall height and size of the building. 

The building was also set back further and the windows to the east obscured with glazing as per the conditions recommended by the Committee.

These plans were unanimously approved by the Planning Committee in February. Giancarlo and Marc Mattioli, whose family has owned the nearby Marina Metro Hotel for 50 years, spoke against the application at the Planning Committee meeting, but their pleas didn’t convince the Committee who approved the plans.

In August, the family appealed the decision to grant planning permission, citing several grounds in their Appeal form.

At the hearing held by Planning Inspector David Hainsworth in October 2020, the family argued the development would cause “unreasonable harm” to neighbouring amenities as well as causing some of the hotel bedrooms to lose their outlook and access to daylight. 

Pictured: Giancarlo and Marc Mattioli, whose family has owned the Marina Metro Hotel for 50 years, had appealed the decision to grant planning permission. 

They also said the plans would amount to “overdevelopment of the site” and were in conflict with Island Plan policies, adding that there was not enough justification to approve them.

The family also said the developers, Mevanna Prestige Limited, had failed to show that the Caribbean Vibz restaurant and Drifters Beach Bar and Café were no longer viable or that they had been marketed.

In addition, they said only two of 17 units would meet with the minimum space standards for living space as well as internal and external storage.

The inspector also received representations from the National Trust and the Parish of St. Helier, which expressed concerns about the height and mass of the building and the tunnel effect it would create on the main road, and the fact that there would be less than one parking space per unit, respectively.

Islanders, meanwhile, shared their concerns at the loss of the existing restaurants and bars, the effect of the development on the character of the area and the loss of privacy for nearby apartments and houses.

Pictured: Islanders shared their concerns at the loss of the existing restaurants and bars in the area.

Mevanna said the plans complied with the Island Plan “as a whole” and maintained that, if any element was not compliant, there was sufficient justification for the Minister to approve the development on the basis that it delivers “an imaginative and high-quality design” and makes “the best use of land." 

They acknowledged the development could cause harm, but said it wasn’t significant enough for the whole scheme to be deemed unreasonable. 

They said it was “unrealistic” for the current buildings to be updated to present-day standards in a cost-effective way, arguing that “considerable investment” would be needed to refurbish them.

The Planning Inspector eventually concluded the planning permission should be refused as it would “unreasonably harm” the amenities of the Marina Metro Hotel, with which it would have “an unsatisfactory relationship”.

Mr Hainsworth added that Mevanna had failed to show the buildings couldn’t be repaired or refurbished and that it would be uneconomic to do so, as such he said the plans were in conflict with the Island Plan which states no development will be permitted if they replace a building that can be repaired.

The Inspector also noted the plan would result in the loss of employment land.

Pictured: Deputy John Young, the Former Minister for the Environment, rejected planning permission.

Former Environment Minister Deputy John Young agreed with the recommendation of the inspector and rejected the application. In the Ministerial Decision in which he outlined his reasoning, he said he had considered that the proposed “sub-standard level of proposed accommodation.”

He also added that the development would represent “an erosion of tourist support facilities within Havre des Pas, which has been identified as a Tourist Destination Area.

The announcement of the opening of Saffron Restaurant suggests that plans for housing on the site have been abandoned, at least for now.

This week, the Indian and Asian restaurant thanked its supporters on social media for the "insurmountable support", saying: "We really appreciate all of the support and we can't wait to serve you."