Reject ‘town wrecking’ flat scheme, say heritage lobby

Plans to build more than 180 units next to Grand Marché off Rue Le Masurier were scaled down and resubmitted earlier this year, but have again been criticised by lobbyists from the group Save Jersey’s Heritage.

Residential Accommodation

• 76 one-bedroom apartments
• 79 two-bedroom apartments
• 3 three-bedroom apartments
• 6 three-bedroom maisonettes
• 10 three-bedroom town houses

Total: 174 units of accomodation

Commercial Units

4 commercial units will be included as part of the design proposals:

• Unit 1 – 307m2
• Unit 2 – 104m2
• Unit 3 – 104m2
• Unit 4 – 95m2

Parking

• 10 dedicated car parking spaces for the commercial units
• 183 residential car parking spaces
• 17 visitor car parking spaces (including two electric car charging points)

Servicing Areas

• Bicycle storage
• Resident storage
• Plant Refuse/recycling area

The group have now submitted a letter outlining their ‘strong and fundamental’ objections to the scheme.

Original plans for the large development received about 70 letters of objection and the project was withdrawn in early August.

Applicants Castle Properties (Jersey) Limited’s latest plans propose building 174 apartments and four commercial units on the L-shaped site – the home of redundant warehouses once used by fulfilment firm Play.com – in three main blocks and two redeveloped properties known as Archway House and West Terrace.

However, both Marcus Binney, the president of Save Jersey’s Heritage, and Christopher Scholefield, the organisation’s chairman, have raised strong objections on behalf of the campaign group.

In their letter to the Planning Department they say the project comprises too many homes and too much on-site parking, lacks a mixture of buildings to give the area ‘life and vibrancy’ and does not pay enough respect to the historic buildings there.

‘In the north of town density is crucial,’ the letter said.

‘What is proposed is town cramming.

‘Indeed it is more than that.

‘It is town wrecking.

‘It proposes an overwhelmingly intrusive new development, much of it more than twice as high as houses in surrounding streets.’

It has also been suggested that the proposals breach the States St Helier North of Town Masterplan, which is designed to guide town building plans.

Mr Binney and Mr Scholefield point out that that plan states that future development is ‘contained within existing building heights’.

Their letter concludes: ‘In many ways this application is of huge importance.

‘Do the States genuinely want to restore St Helier’s appeal as a place to live, or do all the fine words imply a very different vision for our town: build dense, build hard, build high and to hell with the consequences?

‘We urge panel members to reject the application.’

The site formed part of Le Marais de St Helier which was the low lying marshland behind the sand dunes, encircled by several large hills (Mont’s) that surrounded the developing town in the medieval period.

• 1155 – The site together with the town mill was given to Augustinian monks of the then Abbey of St Helier, located on L’Islet, now known as Elizabeth Castle. The Abbey later become a Priory. It is likely that the area was used for sheep grazing and that it may have been crossed by the stream called La Grande Douet, which in modern times became the Town Brook.
• 1299 – Assize Roll indicates the marsh being drained and it is possible the monks may have dug the Faux Bié (or false leat) and redirected La Grande Douet – thus allowing both the main stream and the false leat to be cleaned alternatively. A millpond may have existed in the area now known as Simon Place and St Saviour’s Road. Another mill was located near to where York Street now runs, but this was subsequently moved in around 1590 to be near to La Chapelle de la Madeleine (opposite the Town Church), as its noise was disturbing local residents. The marsh was an area of clay (cow-belly clay) and did not, consequently, drain well. There were occasions when phosphorescence, also known as marsh gas, Will’o the Wisp or Jack a ‘Lantern would light up the ground in the immediate area. In Jèrriais the expression for this is feu follet. This would have made the area quite spooky and people at the time reported ghostly apparitions although a counter argument exists that area was popular with ‘ladies of the night’ so superstitious stories kept the innocent at bay. One of the then nearby fields was called La Pièce à la Dame (from Hilgrove Street – encompassing what is now parts of Bath Street, Peter and Charles Street), which might also suggest a female ghost haunted the area.
• 1626 – Mr & Mrs Abraham Middleton purchased two fields (named Le Jardin & Le Pre de Middleton) to the north east of La Pièce à la Dame, from Hugh de Soulemont who had acquired them following the bankruptcy of Abraham de Ste Croix, son of Helier. Le Pré de Middleton measured 3 vergees, 7 perches and 8 pieds. They were behind the house of Helier de Ste Croix, now the location of Oxford Road. Abraham may have been involved in shipping his wife’s halfbrother – but this is speculative and requires further research. Due to Abraham being away from the Island for long periods of time, he gave his wife his power of attorney. From 1626 the couple had several children baptised in St Helier: Abraham, Raulin, Jean, Jeanne and Elizabeth. Abraham died in 1646 and his wife Mabel in 1671. He may have become bankrupt at about the time of his death.
• 18th Century – During this century, the two fields were passed to the Hilgrove family. They were a wealthy brewing family who have their name to the Street, on which they owned at least four properties. Several of the Hilgroves became Constables of St Helier.
• 1806 – Thomas, James and Clement Hilgrove sold Le Pré de la Commune to Thomas Le Breton. George and Clement Hilgrove sold Le Jardin de Middleton (situated to the North of Le Pré de Middleton) to Jean Stephenson. Their brother George Hilgrove sold Le Pré de Middleton in 1807 also to Thomas Le Breton and in 1809 sold La Pièce à la Dame to David de Quetteville (this field measured 10 vergees, 16 perches and 2 pieds).
• 1830 – 7th June, Thomas Edge establishes the Channel Islands first gasworks on land purchased from Philippe de Quetteville, son of David. There is a small booklet in the library of the Société Jersiaise called ‘The History and Development of the Jersey Gas Light Company Ltd’ which has a picture of the Gas Works site in 1840 and a plan of the original works in about the same year. The site location was where the BOA Warehouse now lies. The 1851 census of London makes it clear that Thomas Edge’s company was sizeable, employing 7 clerks, 2 foremen, 77 men and 20 boys. His business was variously called, The Gas Light Office, The Lamp and Chandelier Manufactory, and The Gas Fitting Manufactory. The address was 59 Great Peter Street until 1863 when it was 16 Regent Street. He was responsible for the introduction of gas lighting to both Jersey and Guernsey. He was president/chairman of the Jersey Gas Company from 1831 to 1856. In his English affairs, Thomas Edge became bankrupt and on 30th September 1856 a receiver sold the St Helier gasworks to local trustees, including Elie Neel.

In their Design Statement for the project, Riva Architects outlined the following reasons for it:

• On 1st April 2012 Low Value Consignment Relief (LVCR) was removed from goods into the UK and as a result the Channel Islands fulfilment industry collapsed overnight. Play.com, a major player in this industry, surrendered its tenancy of the BOA Warehouse shortly after. This significant 4,375 square metre warehouse has remained empty since.
• The owner’s agents Buckley & Company have been unsuccessful in locating suitable replacement tenants for this large urban site.
• The site currently has negligible/poor occupancy levels and is not economically viable to retain in either its current usage or form.
• While the character of the area may not have substantially changed, standards have, and the current usage is out of keeping with essentially the residential nature of the area.
• 24 hour warehousing represents a nuisance. As demonstrated by the various complaints which historically occurred as a result of the commercial usage.

• Office usage (located in La Masurier House) has tended to move South to the new hub of commercial activity being created around the reclamation area.
• Some of the smaller commercial units on site do not have any sanitation facilities and have to share electrical supplies.
• There is a general trend to relocate light industrial and wholesale uses out of town to avoid the noise and traffic congestion these user groups can cause.
• The Millennium Town Park represents a significant investment by the States of Jersey to stimulate the localised built up area and engender investment and development. These proposals seek to work with these goals.
• The ground contamination issues associated with the site should not be underestimated. The scale of development needs to be adequate to generate sufficient income to address these potential problems.
• In summary, the Applicants say they are ‘proposing to bring some ‘closure’ to the site and achieve a development which is appropriate and relevant to the locality while optimising its development opportunities in line with Policy GD3 – Density of Development’.