U-turn on controversial coastal homes refusal

Friday 14 September 2018

The Planning Minister has given the green light to plans to for a housing development along the coast road at Grève d’Azette, just yards from neighbouring properties whose owners were charged tens of thousands for allegedly encroaching on land belonging to the public.

The development has been refused twice by the Planning Committee amidst concerns that it would 'box in' nearby properties, but an appeal to this decision has been granted by Planning Minister John Young after a review by an Independent Planning Officer.

Planning permission was sought to demolish the existing buildings – a corner shop and five existing homes – to make way for ten apartments of various sizes and three houses.

But the proposed site on which the properties will be built falls between Brise de Mer and Roche de la Mer – two properties formerly owned by islanders who were forced to fork out tens of thousands in ‘compensation’ to the States of Jersey because their properties encroached on the Foreshore, a vaguely-defined strip between low and high tide for which the sea wall serves no boundary.

Pictured: A view of the development, which has had to overcome several hurdles in order to secure planning permission (Gallaher Architects)

In July last year, Express revealed that Alan Luce, who owned Roche de la Mer, directly next to the proposed development, was charged £30,000 by the States.

In response, the architects moved to assuage those concerns by reforming their plans and pulled the development plans "back from the sea wall."

But the application was still refused on 19 April this year, prompting the developers to appeal the Committee’s unanimous decision on the grounds “that the proposal accords fully with the Island Plan, that it will deliver significant improvements to the public realm… and it will not unreasonably harm the amenities of existing properties.”

Pictured: The Planning Minister has signed off on planning permission for this Grève d'Azette development despite it having been refused twice by the Planning Committee and concerns surrounding encroachment on the Foreshore in that area.

The application was then reviewed by Independent Planning Officer Philip Staddon, who published a report on 3 August recommending that the Minister allow the appeal and grant planning permission - a recommendation which Deputy Young agreed with in a Ministerial Decision published on the States' website this week.

Planning permission has been granted with the caveat that developers must provide £17,750 contribution towards the Eastern Cycle Route before building commences alongside other obligations to maintain the site and its surrounding area.