THE owner of a dog-walking and daycare centre in St Ouen has criticised the “disheartening” planning process which has left her unable to fully operate for the last six months.
Kumiko Orlandini, the owner of Koko’s Canines, was forced to close her dog daycare shelter in July after a member of the public appealed against her planning permission – and she has been “left in the dark” ever since.
She explained: “We had to close the site when the appeal was lodged.
“We received no guidance or support and were told to leave the site based on one person putting in an appeal, which had no new grounds or brought anything new to the table, so I don’t think it should have even been allowed.”
Ms Orlandini added: “The centre is still not open as we haven’t had any news and have been left in the dark completely. We were told we’d find out before Christmas, if not the start of January.”
Planning permission for Ms Orlandini’s dog shelter in Rue des Hougues was granted in June 2023 – despite having been recommended for refusal by Planning officers on the grounds that it was “unsustainable”, as it was in a protected coastal area.
Approving the plans, the Planning Committee – a panel of politicians – decided that the shelter would not cause “irreversible harm” to the existing agricultural land and that it was beneficial to the community.
However, just one month later, a member of the public appealed against the decision and Ms Orlandini was told that she had to cease trading, pending the outcome of the appeal.
The appeal hearing took place in November and, despite originally being promised the outcome by Christmas, Ms Orlandini said she has still not received an update.
In a social media post, she wrote: “As a young business owner, it’s disheartening, and it’s no wonder young people consider leaving the Island. It sheds light on the challenges people face, questioning how anyone can survive in Jersey.”
Other local business owners have also recently criticised the “outdated” planning processes which “slow innovation” and “hinder well-intentioned initiatives”.
The owner of a sauna company, Cole McLean, echoed her criticism, saying that the planning process was “keeping Jersey back in the dark ages”.
“Surely we should be supporting entrepreneurship and businesses in general and not shutting them down to some outdated box-ticking methods currently in place?” he said.
“The whole system needs a revamp, as this current one isn’t fit for purpose, it slows down innovation and is keeping Jersey back in the Dark Ages.”
