Dandara, which is acting as an agent for Andium Homes, is planning to build 189 one-bedroom and 82 two-bedroom apartments on the site of the former brewery complex, which last produced beer in 2004. The application includes underground parking for 340 bicycles and 163 cars.
Public walkways – one named ‘Mary Ann Walk’ in a nod to the brewery’s signature tipple – and cycle paths could also be built. If plans are approved, the flats would be split between four blocks ranging from four to six storeys high and around 2,000sq m of green space is expected to be created through the project. One of the blocks is likely to be called ‘1871’ in reference to the year that brewing began on the site.
If the application is approved, it could mean that a total of 953 homes will be built in the north of town when taking into account other schemes in the area – Le Masurier’s Bath Street development, Andium Homes’ Ann Court and former Jersey Gas site projects and Dandara’s West’s Centre apartment block. Castle Properties also has planning permission in place for apartments on the former play.com warehouse near the Millennium Town Park.
St Helier Constable Simon Crowcroft said he thought the development needed to include more car parking spaces but was pleased by the development of a brown-field site.
‘On a positive side, I am very pleased to see the amenity space – the woodland – and to see a brownfield site being developed. With every brown-field site that is developed, a good agricultural field is spared. Town people care about the countryside as much as country people care about the countryside,’ he said.
‘Regeneration is more than just providing housing units – it is about providing greater value for the community. That is open space, new facilities, restaurants and other things that bring new life to an area. I think this will be a regeneration if the woodland and green space is what the developers say it is.’
Making reference to the large number of apartments being developed in the area, Mr Crowcroft added that the government now needed to begin implementing better cyclist and pedestrian routes around town.
‘It is so overdue. I have been saying for years now that the Infrastructure Department has not been prioritising walking and cycling routes – we have been waiting 20 years for a walking and cycling policy to be produced.
‘It is “cart before the horse” to be putting in these large housing units without the infrastructure that should be going with it – particularly the ability to move around town safely and conveniently.’
As part of the application for the former Ann Street Brewery, it is hoped that a number of historic listed buildings can be refurbished and repurposed. The eight-storey grade-three-listed brewhouse, which still contains its original copper brewing equipment and iron staircase, is intended to become an office. Plans show that developers also hope to reinstate its slowly-disappearing ‘The Jersey Brewery’ signage and crest.
The grade-three-listed 1820s Sans Souci detached house, just east of the old brewhouse building, retains much of its original fixtures and fittings. It also has a basement, which consists of a wine cellar, coal cellar and pantry, among other items of interest. It is hoped that the building can be restored and used as a new centre for Austism Jersey.
Number 12 Simon Place, a grade-four-listed Georgian townhouse, retains a number of historic features including its 19th century 12-pane timber sash windows, an open well and mahogany staircase. It was once occupied by map-maker Elias Le Gros and it is hoped the property can be converted into caretaker’s accommodation.
Other buildings on the site, including the grade-three-listed 4A Simon Place, which dates back to the 1830s and features a cast-iron stove and 19th century joinery, is due to be demolished.
The brewery office block, which is grade-four listed and contains a panelled mahogany staircase, is also due to be razed.
Several proposals for the site have been put forward over the years including a £30 million plan announced in 2010 to develop the complex into a supermarket with parking and 41 homes.
Then in January 2017, it was announced that the site could be turned into a 600-space multi-storey car park and a number of homes. Just months later, Andium Homes bought the site from CompropCI and announced its intentions to build 150 flats there instead.
Plans contained within the Ann Street application also make reference to a potential development of the nearby Mayfair Hotel but no further details are provided.
