Work starts to turn former nightclub into offices

Monday 27 November 2017

The music only stopped playing over a month ago, but work has already started to turn Koko and Kasbar, located on the Esplanade opposite the bus station, into a six-story office building.

Koko/Kasbar, also known over the years as Folies, Babylon or Mint - closed down on 14 October after 25 years of parties, late nights and music.

The plans submitted by Dandara include the demolition of what was the largest nightclub venue in Jersey with a capacity of 900 guests. This will pave the way for a six-storey multi-tenancy office building with a total surface of 6,417sqm.

The building will include an underground parking with 19 spaces and cycle facilities with access onto Commercial Street at the back of the building. Each floor will have shower facilities while only the fourth and fifth one will benefit from balconies, slightly set back from the rest of the building. A roof plant enclosure formed of aluminium panels and a galvanised frame will also be built at the top of the building. 

Pictured: The façade of the nightclub has undergone a series of revamps over the years, here in 2010.

In a Planning Statement included in the application for the development, Ms Planning wrote: "The current buildings, which are of no merit and at the end of their useful life, would be replaced with a high quality scheme of modern offices to meet the expectations of the Island's international finance industry."

This new development marks the second time in recent months a former nightclub is to become offices. Earlier this year, plans to turn Nikita nightclub on Cattle Street into two 700sq meters studios, a 1,000 sq meter two-bedroom flat as well a 800sqm ground floor space, were approved. 

Pictured: A CGI view of the soon-to-built office building from Liberation Square. (Credit: Axis Mason)