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The Jersey Development Company is appealing against the rejection of its plan to clear the site of the old Planning offices at South Hill – which it recently bought from the public for £3.8m – and build 139 apartments.
The taxpayer-backed firm wants to construct three blocks of flats within the former quarry at South Hill.
It also plans to create a courtyard garden with 70 car spaces underneath, turn the listed barracks there into a residents’ gym and upgrade the children’s play park next door.
However, its plans have twice been rejected by the Planning Committee, the last time in March, when the group of politicians criticised the size of the some of the units, the aspect of the buildings and the amount of daylight that single-aspect flats facing the quarry wall would get.
Pictured: A birds-eye view of the area.
Now, JDC are appealing that decision, which will be reviewed by an independent planning inspector.
Describing the grounds of its appeal, the company says it does not agree that the "form and design" of the scheme will have "an unacceptable impact on public views through the site", which was another of the committee’s criticisms.
It also disputes that the size of units and the level of sunlight some will receive "would result in unacceptable living conditions".
The development has been twice recommended for approval by the Planning Department but rejected by the committee, which sits to judge larger and more controversial applications.
Pictured: The original plans were rejected for being too high, especially at the back of the development.
Following a States Assembly decision, JDC is obliged to make at least 15% of apartments at South Hill (21) "affordable" for first-time buyers by allowing them to be purchased through a shared-equity scheme.
Some politicians, including forming Housing Minister Sam Mézec has called for that percentage to be higher but JDC argue that that would make the scheme, including stabilising the quarry face and updating the play park, unviable.
This month, JDC officially acquired the land needed for the development at South Hill, paying the public of the island £3,775,000 for it.
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