PROPOSALS to build a hotel on the site of La Folie Inn next to St Helier’s harbour could be rendered commercially unviable by the planning framework covering the area, the Economic Development Minister has said.
Answering questions about the Ports of Jersey scheme to attract interest from operators for a possible hotel, Deputy Kirsten Morel acknowledged that any development might have to push the boundary of the Bridging Island Plan in order to be economically feasible.
The minister was asked by Deputy Jonathan Renouf if a States-owned entity like Ports of Jersey should respect planning policies associated with the urban character of St Helier.
Deputy Renouf said that it appeared that in order to realise the aim of a hotel of between 125 and 150 rooms, a building of six or seven storeys in height would be required, well beyond the three-storey limit within the planning framework.
Deputy Morel said the Island risked getting into “something of a mess” through insisting on adherence to the Bridging Island Plan, a policy which he described as “unrealistic”.
“The Harbour primarily has to be a functional harbour,” he said. “If you stop development because of wanting to maintain how [the harbour] looked 200 years ago then that’s a really dangerous place for Jersey to be.
“This Assembly has slowed development in all sorts of directions by insisting that applications by States-owned entities fit within certain parameters – there has to be a situation where an application outside those parameters can be submitted in order to achieve commercial viability.”
The minister defended the Island’s planning system, saying that it wasn’t for him or the States Assembly to rule on planning application, but for officers from the Planning Department to advise the applicants prior to a decision being made by the Planning Committee and – if needed – the recourse to an established appeal system.
A procurement process for the site of La Folie Inn, which closed in 2004, was announced in July.
Earlier this month, a spokesperson for Ports of Jersey reported “encouraging interest in the site during a pre-market engagement process, with a further update set to be issued by the end of October.
Ports of Jersey has previously stressed that the 18th-century La Folie Inn “holds a special place in Islanders’ memories” and would be “central” to the area’s future.
The plans to revive La Folie form part of a wider regeneration programme to transform St Helier Harbour.
