Appeal against countryside children’s nursery to be held

Appeal against countryside children’s nursery to be held

Guardian Nursing Services Ltd applied to make the changes to what used to be a gym and spa at Château Vermont on Mont Sohier in 2019. The application was heard by politicians on the Planning Committee and was approved by four votes to two.

However, Hélier and Julie Lucas then lodged a third-party appeal, citing concerns about privacy, traffic, noise and the project’s impact on the natural environment.

‘The use of Château Vermont as a nursery and forest school would impact enormously upon privacy and the enjoyment of property. The noise levels would be extreme, the amount of traffic much increased and the roads hazardous,’ Mr and Mrs Lucas said in their appeal.

They added that the proposal could have a ‘detrimental effect on wildlife and the environment’ and that they would be ‘unreasonably affected’.

‘We therefore respectfully request that this application be refused. The place for a new day-care nursery is within an already-built-up area which is not in the green zone,’ they added.

St Saviour Constable Sadie Le Sueur-Rennard also objected, saying that, as a farmer who rented three fields in the area, she was unhappy with how children would be walking down the nearby lanes while her staff operated heavy farm vehicles nearby.

She added that she was also concerned with an increase to the already-high levels of school traffic within the parish.

However, Page Architects, speaking on behalf of the applicants, said that the traffic levels would be lower than those created when the building was home to a gym and spa, and that trees in the woodland area would not be changed in any way.

‘No trees will be cut down and the protection that the countryside should be afforded will not be affected. Forest school is not a playground as the appellant claims it will be – it is a learning environment,’ they said.

The document outlining the applicant’s response to the third-party appeal also says that the project would not cause unreasonable harm to the amenities of local residents or have an unacceptable impact on the parish’s highway network. It adds that, following the closure of Rainbow Tots, the demand for nursery places in Jersey had increased.

‘We believe the new setting at Château Vermont will be able to accommodate some of the spaces required by parents for their children and will be able to employ some of the staff that have been made redundant,’ Page Architects said.

Sue Bell, an independent planning inspector based in the UK, is now due to be brought to Jersey to oversee the appeal.

A hearing is scheduled to take place at the offices on the first floor of International House in St Helier at 1.30pm on 16 October. Anyone who wishes to attend must email n.wilczynski@gov.je.

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