Parishioners give green light to St. Helier House negotiations

Thursday 27 May 2021

St. Helier is to officially enter into negotiations with the island’s main social housing provider on selling the site of a former care home and nursery after parishioners approved the move last night.

In a secret ballot, Parish Assembly attendees voted 34 in favour and just one against a motion to approve a recommendation of Constable Simon Crowcroft and the Procureurs du Bien Public to allow St. Helier to consider an offer from Andium Homes for St. Helier House and Westmount Day Nursery “for a sum of no less than £2,900,000”.

There were two spoilt papers.

Vote on negotiation re Parish property was conducted by secret ballot:
37 voted
34 for
1 against
2 spoilt papers

— Geraint Jennings (@GeraintJennings) May 26, 2021

The Parish stated that the proceeds of the sale would allow it to acquire homes in the new development, which would then be used as sheltered housing, and provide a new building for a Westmount Day Nursery.

The next step will see Andium put forward detailed drawings and proposals for the site.

It comes after over two years of difficulties in deciding the fate of the house – the facility closed in 2017 with 44 elderly residents being rehomed after a series of fire safety problems were discovered in the wake of the Grenfell tragedy.

Pictured: The Parish Assembly meeting was held at the Town Hall last night.

Given the 1967 building’s flammable cladding and lack of sprinkler system, it was decided that it would not be possible to refurbish the building to an adequate standard, leading the site to be put up for sale. 

A developer, initially anonymous at the time, offered to purchase the site for £2.9m in 2019. But the sale fell through just months later due to a last-minute catch added to the deal that would have seen some of the site’s increased land value make its way back to the Parish after development.

Discussion with Andium started in 2019, with the parish announcing a formal partnership with the company and new vision for the site in 2020, and a recommendation from the Constable and Procurers to make the £2.9m sale to Andium following this.