Chamber considers warehouse conversion

Tuesday 01 September 2020

Jersey's Chamber of Commerce has put forward plans to extend its offices into the Sail Loft at the rear of their Pier Road base, creating a potential events space.

The application, prepared by Elliott Design Partnership, is currently before the Planning Department for consideration.

The business lobby group is proposing to change the existing ground floor, mezzanine and second floor of the 225sqm Sail Loft Building to create a total of 320sqm of "habitable" office space.

The disused warehouse space is currently used for private parking by the Chamber, who are the owners and part occupiers of the building, with its second floor only accessible through the basement of the Pier Road building.

A statement submitted alongside the application says that the Chamber is “keen to re-use the existing building, with the intention of combining the use of the two properties to provide additional office and function accommodation.” 

Pictured: The Chamber of Commerce has proposed plans for The Sail Loft, Ordnance Yard, to be converted.

Though 25 Pier Road is a Listed building - meaning it has special protection due to its heritage status - the application says that they are “not looking to alter anything externally to it". However, it acknowledged it would include constructing an alternative entrance to adjoin the two buildings from the Sail Loft’s side. 

The proposed developments would also include the addition of a passenger lift to “allow for full accessibility throughout the Sail Loft Section” to any other part of the building, as well as updating the streetscape at the front of the property “to provide a traditional aesthetic whilst still relating back to the building’s traditional roots as a warehouse and store.”

The statement explains that the conversion would allow the Chamber to “host their own events, rather being reliant on the hire of other venues, “whilst representing “the Island Plan’s preference to re-use already developed land and buildings.”