A small café and shop in an arch underneath St Catherine’s breakwater could relocate a few hundred metres across the bay to an “underutilised” building, if plans are approved.
An application has been submitted to change the use of the St Catherine’s Market building – next to the Breakwater Café – into a retail space.
This will allow ‘The 3 Arches’, a seaside snack spot that sells refreshments and ciabattas to passers-by in the warmer months, to move from the pier into a more accessible and functional location.
Jersey Seafaris converted and opened ‘The 3 Arches’, which sells merchandise and fishing tackle as well as food and coffee, in 2020.
The company normally runs rib trips and tours between Jersey and other small islets in the Channel Island archipelago, such as Les Minquiers and Les Écréhous.
The planning application – submitted by the company’s director Daniel Luce – explained that the building has historically been used for retail activities, primarily serving visitors to the breakwater, although it has never been formally granted planning permission.
The application aims to formalise this retail status.
A supporting statement reads: “The building has been underutilised in recent years, and this proposal seeks to regularise its use as a retail space.
“By relocating The 3 Arches from its current location on St Catherine’s Breakwater to the St Catherine’s Market building, the retail space will be revitalised, improving accessibility and the overall visitor experience at St Catherine’s Bay.”
If approved, The 3 Arches will provide ticket sales for St Catherine’s Bunker and other local attractions, sell themed merchandise and souvenirs, offer refreshments, and continue its role as a general tourist retail provider.
The proposal comes as wider efforts are being made to regenerate the St Catherine’s area, with Ports of Jersey aiming to develop it into the island’s first “green harbour”.
Speaking to Connect Magazine in 2023, Head of Maritime Operations Louise Stafford said there was a drive to work with businesses in the area around sustainability to support tourism.
Other parts of the project involved ‘rewilding’ efforts both at sea and on land and trialling eco moorings.
In 2023, Ports of Jersey also accepted a proposal to transform the former stronghold for German forces during the Occupation into what they hope will become a “hub for tourists seeking an immersive and educational experience”.
The bunker’s redevelopment will be led by Jersey War Tours and Jersey Seafaris, with a focus on making it an accessible historical attraction that fits within the broader “land to sea” tourism concept for the area.