Senior transport planner William Prendergast said plans for The Range, which could replace the existing Motormall garage, might generate higher levels of traffic along Grande Route de St Jean ‘to the detriment of other road users’. A total of 101 parking spaces are included in the plans.
The Range specialises in furniture, DIY and art supplies and has 170 outlets in the UK. It is claimed that the new outlet would create 50 jobs in the Island. The chain was previously owned by Chris Dawson, one of Britain’s wealthiest retail bosses, before ownership was switched to his Jersey-based wife in 2019.
In a report about the proposals, Mr Prendergast says: ‘There have been four road accidents adjacent to the site and one just south in the latest four-year period for which police records are available. Six casualties resulted. Of the accidents by the site all but one related to manoeuvres into and out of Motormall – the other two related to driver error due to distraction by the car showroom display.’
The report adds: ‘The existing traffic conditions are such that journeys to this particular site – other than by private car – are not supported by safe, continuous access on foot or cycle, or by accessible and quality bus infrastructure and this is reflected by the accident cluster in front of the site.
‘Given the number of accidents and their nature, it is reasonable to assume if the number of movements into and out of the site were to be increased, significant improvements will be necessary to reduce risks of further casualties and cope with the high volume of passing traffic on the main road.’
Mr Prendergast also highlighted how those behind the application had proposed the creation of a turning lane capable of accommodating four cars, eight bicycle spaces, a pedestrian refuge island, a new pavement along the front of the site and a bus shelter to the south-west of the premises.
Under the plans, Jacksons, which owns Motormall, proposes to move all of the site’s vehicle sale and service operations to their St Peter base. No redundancies are expected.
