Broadlands Private Hotel Ltd has applied for permission to carry out the development, in partnership with Dandara. Some of the fields on the site could be returned to agricultural use as part of an agreement with the National Trust for Jersey. A woodland area could also be created to the north of the site, just off Mont Fallu.
The plans come 11 years after people were forced to flee a lodging house at the recycling centre after a fierce blaze broke out and large explosions rocked the site.
As the fire grew larger, a thick plume of smoke disrupted the travel plans of 400 people as aircraft were prevented from landing and virtually all of the Island’s full-time and part-time firefighters were called in to help get the blaze under control.
Residents of the lodging house were left with no clothes and nowhere to stay. Thousands of pounds in cash, which some of the workers had saved, also went up in smoke. The recycling centre partly reopened later in the week and was fully operational at a later date.
According to a design statement accompanying the application, planning permission has already been granted for a new recycling plant with warehouses and sorting areas.
However, the planning application now says that the recycling centre could shut down for good and be relocated.
‘The approved commercial WP Recycling site includes commercial warehouses with secured storage, reception and mixed-waste storage and external material-storage bunds and material-sorting areas. Also approved as part of the scheme is an access road for commercial vehicles with associated parking,’ it says.
‘Field 715 to the south of the commercial scheme has also been approved for commercial use. The current approved commercial scheme shows no indication of improving the surrounding fields and would bring significant commercial traffic, noise and pollution to the green zone area.’
The design statement adds that there would be a number of benefits associated with the new planning application, which were not present in the original proposal.
‘This includes a reduced visual impact, improved landscaping with remediation of soil contamination [and water pollution] and reduction in the intensity of use of land as well as reduced site-occupancy levels and reduced commercial vehicle traffic.
‘Along with this there will be a great environmental improvement made to the surrounding fields that will ultimately have a
positive impact on the local environment as a whole, with improved amenity for nearby residential neighbours.’
