THE redevelopment of a former residential home next to Haut de la Garenne has moved a step closer with the publication of a draft ‘development brief’ and the launch of a public consultation.
Aviemore is an empty set of buildings overlooking Gorey next to the former children’s home, which is now an accommodation and activity centre.
Aviemore was once a wing of Haut de la Garenne, which featured prominently in a 2017 investigation into child abuse and subsequent independent care inquiry, before providing high-dependency residential care to adults with complex and special needs.
In 2020, following a citizens’ panel set up to shape the Island’s response to the inquiry, the Council of Ministers determined that Aviemore should make way for a small housing development, with revenue from that used to create a fund to benefit care-leavers.
Last year, the Government announced that – after the site had been marketed as an open-market residential development – Jersey Development Company’s bid of £1.3m had been accepted.
An attempt to stop this sale due to concerns about the purchase price, made by Deputy Alex Curtis, failed in the States Assembly last February.
The ‘development brief’ is designed to guide developers on what will be permitted on the site.
Even though the Bridging Island Plan, the rulebook against which all planning decisions are based, states that public land brought forward for development should be earmarked for affordable homes, the government has already determined that open-market housing should be built at Aviemore.
When this is the case, the Bridging Island Plan states that 15% of homes should be for assisted-purchase but the brief adds that, owing to the small size of the site, “there may be scope to set aside this policy”.
The site is in the ‘Protected Coastal Area’ meaning that any development must “safeguard or enhance the distinctive character, quality, and sensitivity of the relevant landscape or coastal unit”.
The development brief states: “The redevelopment of the existing redundant and increasingly dilapidated buildings at Aviemore presents a clear opportunity to contribute more positively to the landscape character of its setting.
“Comprehensive redevelopment has the potential not only to remove structures that detract from the quality of the immediate environment, but also to actively repair and restore landscape character and better integrate development into the local context.”
When it comes to the density on the site, the brief states: “While other government decisions might seek to ensure that any development profit from this site is maximised (to be invested into a care leavers’ endowment fund), this public benefit cannot justify an excessive level of development that would otherwise be considered unacceptable.
“The site’s development potential should, therefore, be realised through quality and context‑sensitive design, rather than by maximising the quantum of housing.”
However, the brief does not specify a density.
The public consultation into the draft brief has opened and runs until 23 February.
