Green light for Les Ormes' £14m leisure project

Monday 08 February 2021

Les Ormes has successfully appealed a planning refusal for a £14 million leisure project, and has received the green light to build 60 self-catering units.

The Planning Committee had previously refused the application over concerns about development in the Green Zone, one of the large accommodation blocks being out of character with the site and the impact on the original listed structure. It was ultimately rejected despite it being recommended for approval by the Planning Officer.

The plans included demolishing a tennis hall to make way for 60 units of accommodation and would have allowed the Bosdet Foundation to give away £1m each year to local charities and community projects by 2030.

Pictured: The 60 units should be completed by summer 2027.

Les Ormes appealed the decision in January last year, citing 15 grounds of appeal. They said the Committee hadn’t refused the application because of “serious harm” to landscape character, as required by planning policies, and had “failed to give sufficient weight” to a number of other policies within the Island Plan.

They also said the plans would give rise to “substantial environmental gains”, including the enhancement of the setting of a Listed building and contribute to the repair and restoration of landscape character.

Planning Inspector Sue Bell was appointed to hear the appeal and concluded that planning approval should be granted, with the units being restricted for short-term holiday accommodation only, improvements to the footpath and a number of other conditions. 

In her report, she noted the proposed three-storey buildings would not appear “out of scale” and would result in a “more sensitive siting of structures within the site” than the tennis centre, which she described as a “single over-sized building which appears out of character with its immediate setting."

Mrs Bell added scheme also offered a number of additional benefits, such as the improvement of walking and cycling routes as well as supporting the local tourism industry by providing additional self-catering facilities. 

Pictured: The £14 million project will enable the Bosdet Foundation to give £1 million the local community by 2030.

Assistant Environment Minister Deputy Gregory Guida followed Mrs Bell’s recommendations and granted planning permission, a decision welcomed by the team at Les Ormes.

Mike Graham, Managing Director at Les Ormes and General Manager for the Bosdet Foundation, said it had taken “a long, long time” to get there. 

“It was four or five years ago that I started working on the project,” he said.  “As a team, we are very excited, it gives us a buzz. It’s good for the island but the charity is our main drive. The reason we are doing this is to increase the money we put in our community.”

Mr Graham said Les Ormes had no issue complying with the planning conditions, which include giving away the tennis centre’s steel frame and improvements to the public path and cycle path near the site.

“We are happy to do that, our guests like to walk and cycle and it’s for the future of tourism, people will want to cycle, walk and jog. Those are positive points; I do not see them as conditions.

“We offered [to donate the steel frame] if somebody wants it. If it can help a Government department or a sports club, they can have it.” 

Pictured: As part of the scheme, the nearby foot and cycle paths will be improved.

The development will be carried out in five phases, the first of which will launch in September 2022 with 14 units expected to be available by May 2023. 

The whole project should be completed for the summer of 2027. 

Although the past year has been incredibly difficult on the tourism industry, Mr Graham is remaining positive. 

“Bookings for the summer are very good,” he said. “Everything we have in the island, from the beaches, to the sand dunes, the railway walk, is exactly what people in the UK want. 

“Cafés and restaurants in town have had a terrible time. Some people have lost their homes. I am very sympathetic with all of them. 

“Everything we have is great, we will get the air routes backs. We should be confident that the product we have on island is very good and that we will recover quickly.”