A BID to resurrect controversial plans to convert part of the former Nude Dunes restaurant at La Pulente into tourist accommodation was heard this week by an independent planning inspector.
Nude Food Dunes Ltd is appealing against the Planning Committee’s unanimous decision in December to refuse permission to turn the site into a two-bedroom self-catered holiday let with an attached café.
A separate revised planning application for a smaller beach café with enclosed all-weather seating and a single unit of tourist accommodation has since been submitted – but it was argued during an appeal hearing at International House this week that the original proposals, which sparked a large public protest, should be able to go ahead.
Site owner Nadia Miller said that the building had been vacant for over a year and that the proposal offers a “sustainable” and “viable” use of the property.
In a document submitted in support of the appeal, Island Planning Consultancy said that the application represented an opportunity to repurpose an existing building in a way that benefited both the economy and the community.
It read: “A fair and reasonable decision-maker should approach this application with enthusiasm rather than scepticism.
“The introduction of the proposed self-catering unit further promotes the unique location, transforming the building into a showcase for Jersey’s natural beauty.
“A rejection of this application would be a missed opportunity to promote a sustainable and economically beneficial use of an existing vacant building in a highly unique location.
“It is exactly because this unique building sits in such a unique location that it is so well suited for tourist accommodation, in this case with a combined use as a café.
“The proposal should not be judged only by issues of redundancy and viability but also by the tangible benefits the proposal delivers.”
The former restaurant, which had previously been put on the market for £3.5m, then later for £2.2m, has been on the market for 18 months – with Ms Miller saying that she cannot negotiate the asking price for “legal reasons”.
A converted former toilet block, which was controversially sold off by the parish for £100,000, the site was briefly home to Nude Dunes, which went bust in November 2023, months after opening its doors.
It has been vacant since and, in July last year, the JEP broke the news that Ms Miller had not been able to find a buyer or operator for the restaurant and instead wanted to have it converted to a tourist let.
The submitted plans for a two-bedroom self-catering unit with an attached café and public toilets garnered 114 letters of objection and only seven in support, with Islanders raising a number of concerns ranging from “creeping” development in the coastal park area to the potential “privatisation” of a site enjoyed by the public.
The committee’s rejection of those plans also comes around five months after St Brelade Deputy Montfort Tadier co-ordinated a protest at the site – attended by hundreds – to “show support for the protection of La Pulente and the wider coastline from privatisation and overdevelopment”.
Another person who has opposed the plans is Karl Sutton, former owner of The Hideout café – a kiosk that operated on the slipway for seven years – but had to shut when Nude Dunes was built.
He said he thought the building would be viable as a restaurant at an appropriate rent and that part of it would not need to be converted into tourist accommodation.
“The kitchen is plenty big enough,” he said, adding that it was bigger than other local successful venues of a smaller scale.
Mr Sutton also suggested that if the application were to be approved, it would set a concerning precedent for other beachfront businesses who might wish to add tourist accommodation.
“If this is passed, it sets a precedent which says, ‘If your numbers don’t work, we’ll help you make them work’,” he said.
A decision on the appeal is awaited.
