New hospital on course for green light

It’s may be one of the thorniest applications successive Jersey governments have ever had to deal with, leading to heated debates, planning inquiries and even protests… but Jersey’s new hospital at Overdale looks set to get the green light tomorrow – with just 15 comments on the application.

Planning officers have recommended approval be granted to an application to construct Jersey’s new acute health facility ahead of a meeting on Thursday which will determine the final decision.

But the recommendation from officials also contains a series of conditions forming part of the report to the Planning Committee which will be the centre of an all-day discussion tomorrow.

The application includes parking, external plant and landscaping, as well as the demolition of existing buildings and structures, and alterations to access including a new pedestrian and cycle route.

In the report presented to the committee, senior planning officer Chris Jones states: “The scheme has been carefully assessed against all relevant policy criteria and found to be in compliance with both policy CI3 [covering community infrastructure] and the Bridging Island Plan as a whole, given the exceptional circumstances that the Island finds itself in and the need to provide a significant, Island-wide public benefit.”

Mr Jones highlights comments made by an independent inspector during a 2022 public inquiry into a previous application for Overdale that was halted by politicians following the general election later that year, describing the site as “an appropriate sustainable location”.

Environment Minister Steve Luce subsequently ruled in November last year that there was no need for a public inquiry into the current application.

Benefits listed in the report include an increase in biodiversity and an active travel route through woodland that would provide a “significant public benefit”.

In conclusion, ahead of a list of 33 conditions recommended for inclusion in a planning obligation agreement, Mr Jones states: The design and appearance of the new hospital has been the subject of significant discussion and scrutiny in order to arrive at the scheme now under consideration.

“This is considered to be the best option for the site and the land that is available and will provide a development of high quality to the benefit of the island as a whole.”

The major application attracted just 15 letters from members of the public, a significantly lower volume of correspondence than previous attempts dating back more than a decade.

Pressure group Friends of Our New Hospital wrote to the Planning Department, stating that it was “in the main in favour of the application as a more viable and versatile solution for the Island’s healthcare and more in line with planning guidelines”.

However the group also expressed concern over a lack of detail in some areas and what it considered to be a greater focus on the external appearance of the building rather than interior details that would improve the patient experience.

At the time the current application was submitted last September, Health Minister Tom Binet said he was “cautiously hopeful” that the new complex would open by the end of 2028 and believed there was a strong public view in favour of proceeding with the project after years of delay.

The application is scheduled to be discussed between 09:35 and 16:30 on Thursday 20 February at the Planning Committee meeting taking place in the government offices at Union Street.