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Plans to build housing on another longstanding private car park at Havre des Pas have been submitted – but St Helier's Constable has revealed he is pushing to buy the site to create spaces for the benefit of residents and businesses alike.
The Sovereign Hire Cars site, which is located on the coastal road, was originally a coach park, then a hire car depot with spaces let out to residents and for commercial vehicle parking in the winter months.
Last year, the Royal Court dismissed an appeal by Brigham Young of Sovereign Hire Cars against a decision to refuse a planning application for the site that sought to “formalise” its use for car parking after several decades.
A planning application has now been submitted through Godel Architects to build four two-bed and three three-bed town houses with parking.
The design statement accompanying the plans notes that the site's current arrangement is understood to provide around 38 car parking spaces and three hire car spaces, with 26 of these spaces under carport canopies.
It adds that the scheme now submitted would cause "a significant reduction in the amount of off-street parking spaces", although the spaces provided for the new homes would still meet the Bridging Island Plan parking provision requirements.
And it's not the only car park in the Havre des Pas area that could be developed.
It recently emerged that plans to turn a longstanding private car park of around 60 spaces on the lower end of Green Street into residential rental accommodation were moving forward.
Pictured: The private car park on lower Green Street operated by the Seymour Group, which could be converted into rental accommodation, if Planning agree.
Seymour Hotels Group confirmed to Express that the car park of more than three decades, opposite Andium's Edinburgh House development, could now be turned into 19 one-bed and eight two-bed apartments with amenity space for residents and lower-level parking.
St Helier Constable Simon Crowcroft said that, particularly in summer, a lack of parking at Havre des Pas could have an impact on both residents and businesses.
"There's a blinkered approach by planning to the needs of St Helier residents when it comes to parking," he added, although he noted that the Seymour Hotel Group "have a right to develop that site".
However, he revealed that the parish has been in "regular contact" with the owner of the Sovereign Hire Cars site about potentially acquiring it.
Pictured: St Helier Constable Simon Crowcroft said that the parish was investigating the possibility of buying the Sovereign Hire Cars site.
"It has been discussed with the Havre Des Pas Improvement Group who are very enthusiastic about the possibility of having an off-street car park," he added.
The idea would not be to simply create a residents' parking zone, but to support businesses in the area by creating spaces that can be accessed by visitors to Havre des Pas.
The next meeting of the Havre des Pas Improvement Group will be taking place tomorrow at 18:00 at the Lido.
All residents and business owners in the area are welcome to attend and can find out more information here.
Plans to develop car park into rental accommodation submitted (6 January 2024)
Boarded up for 20 years... Will new restaurant bring Havre des Pas back to its heyday? (13 November 2023)
Royal Court rejects bid to let unauthorised car park to continue after 40 years (1 September 2023)
Constable claims Planning treating town residents as "second-class citizens" (9 July 2022)
Plan to formalise decades-old car park dealt second blow (4 July 2022)
Car park could go as more apartments planned for Green Street (July 2022)
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