PLANS to convert an ‘abandoned’ St Helier shop and flats into a four-bedroom family home have been lodged by the Receiver General on behalf of the Crown.
The historic building, in Belmont Road, has been owned by the Crown for around 30 years, during which time the shop and flats have been rented out to tenants.
The property was originally a house but was subdivided into informal lodging units and a shop, according to agent Socrates Architects.
Receiver General Alan Blair, who made the application, said: ‘It has effectively been abandoned by the previous tenant; it’s in need of restoration. It’s boarded up partly because a window was smashed.’
Mr Blair said that the ideal tenants of the refurbished property would be a ‘family of key workers’.
If plans are approved, Mr Blair estimated that converting the property – which he said had been unoccupied for more than a year – could cost about £400,000, which would be taken from the Crown’s funding and not the taxpayer.
‘It’s described as a shop but I would describe it more as a pop-up shop,’ he said. ‘It came into the Crown’s possession about 30 years ago. The [previous tenants] used the front part of it as a shop. It’s not in a good state of repair. I’m looking to restore the property back to being a four-bedroom house. It’s part of a drive to bring back unused properties.
‘I would prefer this to be family accommodation for key workers.’
He added that a new four-bedroom house in town would ‘differentiate’ the property from other sites on the market, stating that there were ‘lots of flats coming into the market now’.
In a letter addressed to IHE, Nicholas Socrates said they planned to restore the building to its original use as a single-family home.
‘The proposed restoration of this building will contribute to the preservation of Jersey’s historic architecture and enhance the character and identity of the local area.
‘It will also provide much-needed family housing in the area, which is consistent with the objectives of the Jersey Bridging Island Plan,’ he wrote on behalf of the Receiver General.
The Bridging Island Plan states that the ‘preservation and enhancement’ of the Island’s historic buildings is a key priority.
Mr Socrates added: ‘The proposed changes will not alter the exterior of the building or its character-defining features, such as the original windows, doorways and roof.
‘The internal changes are very limited and will involve a limited number of new partitions and internal insulation applied to the external walls.’
