THE proposed lift linking Snow Hill car park and Fort Regent would have a detrimental impact on nearby listed buildings, the government’s historic environment team has said.
An official consultation compiled by the unit highlighted the planned lift tower’s proximity to several listed properties on the adjacent Regent Road, as well as its appearance in relation to the Napoleonic fortress.
The plans for a lift, which are being developed by the Jersey Development Company, form part of a wider project to regenerate Fort Regent, with work recently having been done to clear vegetation from some of the abandoned parts of the complex to form botanical gardens, a moat and rampart gardens, heritage walks and paths.
A second phase of the scheme, if approved, is expected to take place over a four-to-eight-year period and might include the construction of an entertainment, conference and exhibition venue, hotel, bowling alley and a ‘small-to-medium-size casino’. No formal plans have been lodged since the idea was announced in June.
A letter written by the Planning Department’s historic buildings officer, as part of an official consultation for the lift proposals, said: ‘Whilst the imperative for these works is understood, access to the Fort using this form of strong architectural response does have a detrimental impact on the setting of the Fort and other listed buildings in the locality.
‘As such [the Historic Environment Team] contends that the works do not meet the requirements of [Island Plan] policy HE1 [which relates to listed buildings] in that they have a strongly detrimental impact on the character and significance of the grade-one listed Fort Regent and its associated cutting in Snow Hill, as well as the wider setting of a range of listed buildings on Regent Road.
‘For this reason an objection to the proposal is lodged as a matter of principle.’
If permission to build the lift is approved, the JDC would have five years to build the infrastructure. However, they could also apply for a further five-year extension beyond that point. A cable-car system previously linked the motorcycle parking area of Snow Hill car park with Fort Regent but was dismantled around 30 years ago.
