Lee Henry said the café would need to be demolished so that the sea wall and nearby land levels can be raised to protect the Jardins de la Mer area from flooding.
And he confirmed that although the multiplex cinema on the Waterfront would eventually be redeveloped as part of the 12-year vision to transform the area, it will not happen until an alternative cinema is in operation.
Last August, a multi-million-pound redevelopment of the Waterfront was announced which could include an outdoor swimming pool, a national art gallery and a landscaped bridge over Route de la Libération. The scheme also includes provision for more than 1,000 residential units.
When asked what would happen to the cinema, Mr Henry said: ‘The Cineworld buildings themselves have a lease in place, and when that comes to an end that will provide us with an opportunity to redevelop that site and realise the new vision for the Waterfront.
‘We have committed, though, that we would not be redeveloping that site until such time as the new cinema provision is up and running so the Island won’t be without a cinema.’
He said the Island’s main movie facility could be located at Fort Regent – which is also due to be redeveloped.
‘We are looking at the opportunities, from a cultural perspective, as to what kind of facilities could be down on the Waterfront. There has been a suggestion that we could have some sort of independent cinema where you would go to watch some of the vintage movies, and could also be used for other performances in terms of a small theatre space.’
He also confirmed that, to protect the Jardins de la Mer area from flooding and ‘future storm events’, the sea wall and nearby land levels would be raised by 1.2m in height – meaning the La Frégate Café would need to be removed.
He said: ‘La Frégate being so close to the coastline, you are not going to be able to alter the land levels and retain that building. So, under the current proposals the La Frégate Café does get removed and there will be alternative provisions made in the area for those types of facilities.
‘There will be additional cafés, there will be additional public WCs in the area – all to support the play space and the green, open-lawn area that we will be delivering as part of an enhanced Les Jardins de la Mer.’
In February, a proposition lodged by the former Housing Minister, Senator Sam Mézec, resulted in a States decision to ban foreign buy-to-let investors from buying residential properties within the planned development. It also stipulated that the JDC should ‘maximise’ the percentage of affordable housing created as part of the project.
Mr Henry said that, as the plans progressed, the company would have a better understanding of what that percentage would be.
He said: ‘We need to balance the financial equation across the entire development. There isn’t going to be any additional funds injected into the scheme by government so this needs to be a self-funding proposition.’
A public consultation for the project has now finished its second stage, with further community engagement scheduled for mid-July prior to an outline planning application being submitted at the end of September.
Islanders are encouraged to give feedback on the proposals by visiting sthelierwaterfront.je.
