'Enough is enough': St Helier Constable slams plans for nearly 1,000 new flats in town

The Constable of St Helier says "enough is enough" when it comes to building more high-rise flats in Jersey's town.

It comes as the government-owned property developer, the Jersey Development Company, has published revised plans for nearly 1,000 new homes in the south west of St Helier.

The latest changes include moving the Grade 2-listed La Frégate café and reducing the number of planned homes from 1,001 to 984, as well as reducing the height of several of the tallest buildings.

The JDC first unveiled their vision to regenerate that part of town in 2020, including plans to develop a new public park and pool alongside cultural facilities and places to eat and shop.

The plans were amended to incorporate public feedback.

Now Simon Crowcroft, St Helier's Constable, has criticised the latest proposals, saying the parish can't take any more flats.

He said: "I've really got into a position now where I think 'enough is enough'. St Helier is taking more than its fair share of the island's housing and now we really need to think about other solutions to meet it."

But Lee Henry from the JDC says: "The reality is, with our changing population, with our smaller households, there is a continual need for more residential accommodation... For me, and aligned with the planning policy, is for that residential accommodation to be located in existing urban areas."

If the plans are approved, building work will begin in 2024 and take ten years to complete.

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