Barclays to take on new Esplanade offices

Wednesday 13 March 2019

The key tenant of a major new six-storey office build on the location of a former nightclub is Barclays, documents submitted to the Planning Department suggest.

Dandara have applied to fit a Barclays’ illuminated sign to the façade of the building at 5-6 Esplanade, which sits opposite Liberation Station.

The new office building was built on the location of Koko/Kasbar, also known over the years as Folies, Babylon or Mint. It was one of the largest nightclub venues in Jersey with a capacity of 900 guests until it closed down on 14 October 2017 to make way for a 6,417sqm six-storey office building.

Pictured: Koko / Kasbar closed in October 2017.

Work started soon in November 2017 with the demolition of the venue.

Now the “multi-tenancy office building” - which comes with an 19-space underground parking and associated cycle facilities with access onto Commercial Street at the back of the building - appears to be nearing completion.

Plans submitted by Dandara also included shower facilities on each floor, balconies on the fourth and fifth floors, as well as a roof plant enclosure formed of aluminium panels and a galvanised frame at the top of the building.

Pictured: The six-storey office building now appears to be nearing completion.

In a Planning Statement included in the application for the development, Ms Planning wrote: "The current buildings, which are of no merit and at the end of their useful life, would be replaced with a high quality scheme of modern offices to meet the expectations of the Island's international finance industry."

 Pictured: A CGI view of the new office building from Liberation Square. (Axis Mason)