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Nearly £3m was spent on the previous iteration of plans for a major transformation of the Waterfront before they were refused planning permission towards the end of last year, it has emerged.
Figures surrounding the design costs, site and ground investigations, public engagement and planning fee associated with the public-backed Jersey Development Company's rejected vision for the area were revealed this week by the Treasury Minister.
The information comes not long after the JDC provided an update on its revamped version of the plans, which seek to address a number of issues that saw the previous application thrown out in September 2023.
Pictured: A planning application for the previous version of the proposed Waterfront transformation was thrown out in September 2023.
This included concerns over the old scheme's ability to connect to St Helier – with “a largely untamed highway” separating the Waterfront from the rest of town – as well as the layout of the new homes, the provision of affordable housing and the excavation of contaminated waste to create basement parking.
St Helier South Deputy Tom Coles, who represents residents of the Waterfront area, recently asked Treasury Minister Elaine Millar for a breakdown of how much was spent on the previous plans – up to the point they were refused – as well as the cost of developing the revised version. As Treasury Minister, Deputy Millar represents the public as shareholder of JDC.
She said total spend on the original plans was £2,812,254.
This was largely made up of professional design costs (£2,316,987), but also included site and ground investigations (£155,927), and what was described as "public engagement" (£39,340).
Another key element of spending was on the planning fee itself, which was £300,000.
Pictured: Treasury Minister Elaine Millar has provided a breakdown of costs associated with the initial proposals.
"Regarding design costs, the estimated total development cost for the previous Waterfront plan was £738 million," the Minister added.
"Typically, professional design costs (covering concept to completion) range from 8% to 10% of the total cost, depending on the project's size and complexity.
"In contrast, the professional design costs for the previous outline application was £2,316,987, equating to just 0.27% of the total development cost."
As of 15 October, £59,147 had been spent bringing forward the revised iteration of the scheme, comprising further design costs (£42,974) and public engagement (£16,173).
Pictured: The latest Waterfront plans can be viewed via the Jersey Development Company's website.
The revamped proposals can be viewed via the JDC's website, where islanders can also take part in a survey conducted by an independent research specialist running until 4 December.
The results of that survey will be published in January and there will be follow-up "stakeholder engagement" in March, with a view to submitting a planning application for the first phase in April.
Deputy Millar said: "The material and design costs for the revised outline plans are significantly lower than the original, owing to the reuse and adaptation of materials from the initial application."
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