Homes acquired for scrapped hospital could become key-worker accommodation

Tuesday 28 February 2023

Houses on Westmount Hill that the Government bought to make way for the now-scrapped £800m ‘health campus’ at Overdale may now be used for key-worker accommodation.

Under the previous Council of Ministers, 14 properties were purchased, including Jersey Water’s headquarters and the listed home between Overdale and the Crematorium, Thorpe Cottage.

Several agricultural fields were also bought.

Altogether, taxpayers paid more than £25m, including £3.2m for the utility’s former base, Mulcaster House. Although the States Assembly gave the Government the power to purchase the properties compulsorily, all were acquired with the consent of their owners.

The current Government wants to abandon the Our Hospital plans and build new “healthcare facilities” over a number of sites over a longer period of time.

It is understood that of the 14 properties purchased, five are currently occupied. The rest are being upgraded to meet safety regulations to make them suitable for accommodation, or that work is being considered.

CLICK TO ENLARGE: The areas in red signifies zones that were needed for 'Our Hospital', but where a purchase had not been successfully negotiated at the beginning of August 2022; the areas in turquoise are rights of access that were needed; and the small areas in green are those that were not initially believed to be needed but it was later decided that they should be acquired.

If the properties were used to house key workers, such as medical staff and teachers, it would only be for short-term, the Government has said.

Infrastructure Minister Tom Binet, who has political responsibility for the new hospital project, is due to give a statement in the States Assembly this morning to update Members on progress.

READ MORE...

Jersey Water will not return to HQ if hospital plans change