HIGH-PROFILE plans to redevelop the former Water’s Edge Hotel in Bouley Bay will not become the subject of a public inquiry, the Environment Minister has decided.
Deputy Jonathan Renouf said he had chosen ‘not to intervene’ with a planning application to demolish the dilapidated hotel and build a luxury home with guest and staff accommodation, and that it should instead be dealt with through the usual planning process.
The plans, which had received 189 public comments as of this afternoon, are due to go before the Planning Committee for a decision.
Deputy Renouf’s predecessor, John Young, had previously called for the application – which also includes proposals to create a dive centre and café – to be made the subject of an independent inquiry.
However, the Royal Court ruled that the former Environment Minister had provided no justifiable reasons for his decision, as he had failed to show why the plans would have a significant effect on a substantial part of the population – one of the requirements for such a review.
Deputy Renouf said: ‘Following careful consideration of the Royal Court’s decision, I have decided not to intervene in this planning application. In arriving at this decision, I am not expressing any view on the merits of the plans.’
