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A local gallery owner's £14m plans to transform an aging former hotel into a five-star art-themed establishment, spa and cookery school have been approved, after enthusiastic support from a former Bailiff, Minister, and ‘Real Housewife of Jersey’.
Behind the plans for Millbrook House Hotel is Lance Trevellyan, owner of CCA Galleries in Hill Street, who envisaged creating a luxurious space that celebrates local and international artistic and culinary talent.
The establishment – which received planning approval on Friday – will include 39 hotel bedrooms, seven self-catering units and six eco-pods, a spa and wellness centre, a cookery school with associated restaurant, and staff accommodation.
The surrounding gardens of the hotel - which has been closed for three years - will be restored, as will the listed original villa building, its associated gatehouse and a cart barn.
There will also be an outdoor pool, a kitchen garden, an art and yoga studio, and a new access road onto Chemin des Moulins, which is the Waterworks Valley road.
First published in March, the planning went on to generate significant interest, receiving more than 60 comments.
Video: The vision for Millbrook House Hotel. (TSAssociates)
While some nearby residents suggested the development may have an “overbearing impact” on neighbouring properties and lead to a “loss of light”, and others raised concerns about increased traffic through a previously quiet Waterworks Valley area, the vast majority of responses were positive.
Among those writing in support was former Bailiff and External Relations Minister Philip Bailhache.
Lauding the “wonderful addition to the island’s tourism sector”, he said the Millbrook House Hotel would also provide a “counterbalance to the numbers of three-star hotels recently erected or in contemplation.”
“The plans show flair and environmental concern which are very welcome in light of the States decision to seek carbon neutrality by 2030. I am excited by the prospect,” he added.
Economic Development Minister Senator Lyndon Farnham observed there were “clear indications that the demand for traditional mid-market accommodation is reducing, while demand for higher quality hotel accommodation… is growing” and that the hotel “fits well” with the target market the island aims to appeal to.
“It is well-recognised that having a strong tourism sector in Jersey with a good stock of hotel beds attracts visitors and generates the passenger numbers that support regular air and sea transport links, which benefit the whole island.”
Pictured: Senator Lyndon Farnham, Dr Tessa Hartmann CBE and Philip Bailhache all gave their warm backing to Lance Trevellyan's proposals.
Jersey Business equally praised its contribution to connectivity, as well as the boost to the covid-hit hospitality sector and the 40-plus jobs that would be created when the hotel opens.
ArtHouse Jersey Chair Philip Hewat-Jaboor, meanwhile, welcomed the “support for arts and culture for the island”, as did printmaker Tim Le Breuilly, who said it would “make a great addition to the local artistic community as well as welcoming artists from further afield to inspire and invigorate.”
Dr Tessa Hartmann CBE, retail consultant and Star of ITVBe’s ‘Real Housewives of Jersey’ series, said Millbrook House Hotel hotel would help “change the conversation that Jersey so often gets linked to – this isn’t just a place for offshore financial investment, this is an island that can be proud of its artistic and cultural contribution to the British Isles.”
Mr Trevellyan previously said that, if planning approval is given, he hoped to have the hotel open by 2023.
Pictured top: An artist’s impression of the restaurant, cooking school and kitchen garden. (TSAssociates)
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