Minister rejects attempts to save fields from housing and quarrying

Wednesday 01 September 2021

The Environment Minister has rejected calls to save fields around Five Oaks from development and is continuing his support for a quarry expanding into a field in St. Peter.

Deputy John Young has published his initial responses to the public consultation around the three-year Island Plan, which will define what is built in the island and where, from next year until 2025.

However, the final draft of the plan, which was shortened from its usual 10 years due to the uncertainties thrown up by covid, is far from settled, with a team of independent planning inspectors now due to review all comments and amendments and hold public hearings.

Politicians will also have another opportunity to amend the plan before they finally vote on it next March. 

But after the first phase of consultation and amendments, the politician charged with steering the plan through the Assembly and into policy has budged very little, despite the highest volume of engagement every for an Island Plan.

Pictured: Deputy Young supports 'safeguarding' minerals by allowing La Gigoulande Quarry in St. Peter's Valley to expand into a nearby field.

This includes 60 amendments by Members and 2,000 comments by businesses, interest groups and members of the public. 

Deputy Young “is not minded to accept” most of the 60 amendments, including Senator Kristina Moore’s attempt to remove ‘Field MY966’ from the plan.

This agricultural field is next to La Gigoulande Quarry in St. Peter’s Valley, which has been bought by Granite Products and has been earmarked for the company to expand into, to give it at least another 30 years of rock supplies. 

More than half of the public comments submitted were against the expansion of the quarry.

The Minister is also “not minded to accept” attempts to stop three fields currently farmed organically of Grande Route de St Jean from becoming social housing; four fields around Five Oaks from also becoming housing; and another field near Haute Vallée being built on.

Deputy Young has also rejected earmarking another field in St. Peter (P558) for housing, but he said he could be persuaded if other sites are rejected.

He has also said he won’t support proposals to include a field in St. Martin (MN489) for homes for the over-55s and a field in St. Lawrence (L127) for affordable homes.

However, some amendments are supported, including:

• making policies around children’s pay areas more specific;
• making it an obligation for developers to plant trees in the ground, as opposed to planters;
• and designating Waterworks Valley a “strategic countryside access site”.

The Environment Minister said he is minded to support small sections of a proposal to create a Marine National Park around Jersey but he has rejected the substantive part, which is to designate around 900km2 of the island's territorial waters as a protected park.

Pictured: While the Island Plan supports the expansion of Jersey's Coastal National Park, it rejects the creation of a Marine National Park.

Looking to the next phase of the plan, Deputy Young said: “My response to the draft Bridging Island Plan consultation, which signals the start of the examination phase of the programme. 

“At this point, I can confidently hand the plan, its evidence base and all the valuable contributions, to the appointed independent planning inspectors for their review and consideration ahead of the examination in public hearings scheduled for later this year.”