ONE of Jersey’s oldest hotels could be demolished and replaced with flats, if plans are approved.
The 173-bed Westhill Country Hotel on Mont à l’Abbé has been run by the Smale family for six decades.
But, although it will continue to operate this summer, plans have been lodged to replace it with 47 apartments.
In a supporting statement, the application referred to recent government documents which highlighted that housing construction has not kept pace with the increase in population.
It said: ‘The application site is a sustainable location, within walking and cycling distance of the primary centre of St Helier. The proposal would make use of an existing building on previously developed land, making the optimal use of land.
‘There is an acute housing shortage in Jersey and this proposal would assist with meeting this need. The proposed flats have been designed to exceed minimum standards. The external changes required to the building have been carefully designed.’
A previous unsuccessful planning application in 2019 was made for 51 apartments, after the owners put the hotel up for sale.
Speaking at the time, a spokesperson from the family said: ‘It is with a heavy heart that we have collectively decided that the hotel cannot remain as such in the long term and we have to explore another use for the property for the future.
‘We are only at the beginning of this journey and there is a long way to go. Until then, we will continue to welcome locals and tourists to the hotel with all of the usual friendliness and professionalism that we have built our reputation on over the many happy years.’
In November, the Apollo Hotel on St Saviour’s Road closed its doors for the last time following a successful application to replace it with flats.
The Mayfair Hotel has been demolished to make way for apartments, while the Stafford and Revere in Kensington Place were approved for housing but work on those sites has been stopped as part of the government’s new two-site hospital plan.
