Plan to turn La Marquanderie Inn into flats for hospitality staff

Monday 31 July 2023

Plans have been submitted for the redevelopment of the former Treehouse restaurant and La Marquanderie Inn into staff accommodation to support hotel and hospitality businesses in the St. Brelade’s Bay area.

The once-popular eatery and bar closed its doors in 2020 and was sold by the Liberation Group.

Since then, various plans have been submitted, including opening a car dealership on the lower part of the car park and turning the existing buildings into a horticultural laboratory.

Now, the owner is proposing staff accommodation, which includes building extensions to the north and south of the existing footprint.

In a release, the owner said that following conversations with local hoteliers, plans for lodging houses to support local hospitality businesses had been progressed.

Pictured: The once popular Treehouse restaurant and La Marquanderie Inn closed its doors in 2020 and was sold by the Liberation Group.

A planning application has been submitted for 25 units: two two-bedroom, 19 one-bedroom and four studio apartments.

The redevelopment proposes to refurbish the existing building and, in place of the removed modern extensions, the redevelopment proposal is to add two new extensions to the north and south of the main building. 

Ian Marett of Morris Architects said: “The Marquanderie has been a part of Jersey life for decades but, like so many other businesses, it was no longer viable as a hospitality venue and, following years of struggle, was forced to close during the pandemic.

“It is widely known that there is an island wide crisis for this type of staff accommodation. 

“This lodging house application proposes to provide much needed accommodation for staff of the hotels and venues in the immediate vicinity, with whom we have already spoken. 

“We will be directly supporting those St. Brelade businesses to thrive and we are looking forward to a successful planning application process.”

Pictured: The redevelopment proposes to refurbish the existing building into staff accomodation.

The plans include laying a 1.5m wide public footpath running along the site, which will involve removing the roadside wall to the south and connecting to the existing footpaths to the north and south. 

The buildings will include granite, timber cladding and slate, and a ‘green roof’. There is a ten-year landscaping planting plan for the côtil behind the site, which will see indigenous species of trees and shrubs planted and dead wood removed.

The developer said it had “consulted widely with the community”, through leaflet drops to residents and businesses in the area as far as Red Houses, as well as an exhibition in St. Brelade’s Parish Hall.

Deputy Moz Scott, who chairs the St. Brelade’s Bay Association, said that it was generally supportive of staff accommodation for hospitality businesses in the bay and it would look at the plans with interest.

Pictured top: The proposed aerial view of the La Marquanderie site.