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A DECISION on a major application to build a 179-room hotel in St Peter is set to be made next week – with it being recommended for rejection by a planning officer. The Strive complex would also include a new spa, swimming pool and conference centre as part of the next phase for the sports and leisure campus. This would be next to Strive Health Club, along the Airport Road, between the existing gym and the Jersey Rugby Club. The Jersey Hospitality Association, Visit Jersey, Jersey Sport, the government’s Economy Department and the Jersey Rugby Club all support the proposal. However, a planning officer has recommended that the application be rejected citing that the proposed hotel, which is outside ‘the built-up area’ defined in the Bridging Island Plan, would have a “harmful impact on the character of the countryside” which would be “contrary to policy EV1”, which covers ‘visitor accommodation’. They add: “The proposal would introduce a new large-scale sports, leisure and cultural facility on a site not specifically designated for this use, with limited evidence of public benefit or contribution to local sport.” Another reason is: “The building, by virtue of its siting, bulk and massing, would both singularly and cumulatively (with the existing Strive building), result in an extension of built form that would appear incongruous, overly dominant and imposing within the street scene and would result in harm to the landscape character of the area.” The officer also says that the application provides insufficient information in several areas, including the development’s impact on the road network, its flood risk and drainage, and its ecological impact. They add: “The nature of the residential accommodation proposed [for staff] would fail to meet housing quality and design requirements, and compliance with adopted residential space standards would not be achieved.” The officer report notes that 78 public submissions support the application, while 16 express concern. Next Thursday, the Planning Committee is due to decide on the application. The committee is under no obligation to accept the planning officer’s recommendations.
