More than 100 apartments could replace two St Helier hotels

The proposed Dandara development would comprise a part-five storey, part-six storey building, made up of 70 one-bed and 36 two-bed units. Credit: ITV Channel TV

A planning application has been submitted to build 106 new homes on the site of two former hotels in St Helier.The Kensington Place site would see the Stafford Hotel, Doran's Courtyard Bistro as well as the Revere Hotel demolished and replaced with apartments.

The proposed Dandara development would comprise a part-five storey, part-six storey building, made up of 70 one-bed and 36 two-bed units, as well as associated landscaping. The submission states the scheme will 'help mitigate Jersey's Housing Crisis' by building another 106 homes on a site where there are currently none.

The site had previously been earmarked for the new hospital, if the current hospital site had been chosen as the preferred location for the project. 

It was subject to an outline application in both 2017 and 2018, but refused both times due to the size of the proposed development and the likely impact on both local heritage and residential amenities and living conditions.The current application states the ambition for the site is to deliver a 'sustainable design', which can provide 'a significant reduction in carbon footprint.'

Environmental considerations, the application states, run through the project- from recycling building materials from the demolition, to re-building with efficient materials which will reduce energy consumption.

Solar panels on the roof are proposed to offset 12% of the apartments' carbon emissions.

Installing solar panels could knock a considerable amount off a household's energy bills. Credit: Patrick Pleul/DPA/PA Images

Overall, the planning statement notes, 'the redevelopment of these outworn hotels.....accords directly with the main principles of the Island Plan', and will result in 'high quality urban re-generation', and ultimately serve as 'a pump primer for further improvements in the area.'The plans also include proposals for 350 square metres of landscaped green space, including trees planted outside the building 'creating an avenue'.