A planning application to construct housing for over-55s in the grounds of a St Helier care home has attracted over 130 public comments after a local tree charity raised concerns about the impact on surrounding woodland.
It comes after Jersey Trees for Life urged islanders to submit a public comment on a planning application for St Joseph’s Care Home in a bid to prevent tree loss in the grounds.
The owners of the care home have lodged a planning application to construct five new apartment blocks within the gardens containing 42 apartments.
If approved, the over-55s accommodation would consist of 38 one-bedroom and four two-bedroom units with parking.
The development would result in the removal of 33 trees on the care home’s grounds, according to the application.
In a post on social media, Jersey Trees for Life urged islanders to comment on the application to help prevent the loss of trees.
The charity said: “For many residents this is the only green space they can access, it is where they can sit in the sun with their family.
“For those people who cannot leave their room, it is what they see from their bedroom window.”
But the application said the positioning of the new apartment blocks had been “heavily influenced” by the tree survey to allow for the retention of the best trees on site and minimise the total number of trees affected by development.
The developers also intent to plant new trees to “provide mitigation for the proposed tree loss”.
This will increase the total number of trees on the St Joseph’s Care Home site from 127 to 148, according to the application.
It continued: “New trees are positioned to enhance the woodland character of the site and to provide screening to the surrounding properties, protecting views in and out of the site.”
You can read the full planning application online.