Island Plan 2022-25: Approval {P.36/2021) - fifty-eighth Amendment St. Brelade's Bay Development

STATES OF JERSEY

ISLAND PLAN 2022-25: APPROVAL (P.36/2021) – FIFTY-EIGHTH AMENDMENT

ST. BRELADE'S BAY DEVELOPMENT

Lodged au Greffe on 12th July 2021 by the Connétable of St. Brelade

STATES GREFFE

2021  P.36/2021 Amd.(58).

ISLAND PLAN 2021: APPROVAL (P.36/2021) – FIFTY-EIGHTH AMENDMENT ____________

PAGE 2 –

After the words "the draft Island Plan 2022-25" insert the words "except that –

1. within Policy GD9, the final paragraph should be replaced with the following paragraphs –

"Skyline and strategic views in St Brelade's Bay shall include:

• existing views of its skyline from its beach;

• existing views of its skyline and its listed buildings on its shoreline from the following public viewpoints:

1. its pier,
2. Portelet Common (Ouaisné headland above La Cotte)
3. Le Grouin and its headland; and
4. the cliff path behind St Brelade's church towards Beauport Bay; and

• existing views of listed buildings on St Brelade's Bay shoreline from the public terraces or guest rooms of visitor accommodation and dining and entertainment areas of premises in daytime and evening use.

Within the shoreline zone:

1. the development of new buildings or infrastructure, new structures or extensions  to  existing  buildings  will  only  be  supported  if  the development overall does not obstruct views (in the case of private residential development) or significant views (in the case of daytime and evening use premises or publicly owned buildings) to, or involve the loss of open spaces which provide views to, the shoreline and sea;
2. the footprint, scale and  mass  of any replacement, redeveloped or extended building in private residential use will only be permitted to be larger than the footprint, scale and mass of the building it replaces in minor respects; and
3. the overall benefit to the community of any proposal shall not include any luxury housing development.

Redevelopment and /or extension of existing development in the shoreline zone should be sensitive to its landscape context in terms of scale, design, materials and colour and should include ancillary 'green' landscaping complementary to the wooded scarp areas of the Bay."; and

2. the Les Ruisseaux Estate and other existing built area in and above Ouaisné Bay as far as the Route des Genets to the north should be re-designated as Green Backdrop Zone, with the Draft Bridging Island Proposals Map Part A amended accordingly.

CONNÉTABLE OF ST. BRELADE

Note:  After this amendment, the proposition would read as follows – THE STATES are asked to decide whether they are of opinion

to approve, in accordance with Article 3(1) of the Planning and Building (Jersey) Law 2002, as amended by the Covid-19 (Island Plan) (Jersey) Regulations 2021, the draft Island Plan 2022-25, except that –

1. within  Policy  GD9,  the  final  paragraph  should  be  replaced  with  thefollowing paragraphs –

"Skyline and strategic views in St Brelade's Bay shall include:

• existing views of its skyline from its beach;

• existing views of its skyline and its listed buildings on its shoreline from the following public viewpoints:

5. its pier,
6. Portelet Common (Ouaisné headland above La Cotte)
7. Le Grouin and its headland; and
8. the cliff path behind St Brelade's church towards Beauport Bay; and

• existing views of listed buildings on St Brelade's Bay shoreline from the public terraces or guest rooms of visitor accommodation and dining and entertainment areas of premises in daytime and evening use.

Within the shoreline zone:

4. the development of new buildings or infrastructure, new structures orextensions  to  existing  buildings  will  only  be  supported  if  thedevelopment overall does not obstruct views (in the case of privateresidential development) or significant views (in the case of daytimeand evening use premises or publicly owned buildings) to, or involvethe loss of open spaces which provide views to, the shoreline and sea;
5. the footprint, scale and mass of any replacement, redeveloped orextended building in private residential use will only be permitted tobe larger than the footprint, scale and mass of the building it replacesin minor respects; and
6. the overall benefit to the community of any proposal shall not includeany luxury housing development.

Redevelopment and /or extension of existing development in the shoreline zone should be sensitive to its landscape context in terms of scale, design, materials  and  colour  and  should  include  ancillary  'green'  landscaping complementary to the wooded scarp areas of the Bay."; and

2. the Les Ruisseaux Estate and other existing built area in and above OuaisnéBay as far as the Route des Genets to the north should be re-designated asGreen Backdrop Zone, with the Draft Bridging Island Proposals Map Part Aamended accordingly.

REPORT

Policy GD9 of the draft Bridging Island Plan 2022-25 seek to protect skylines, views and vistas', effectively replacing Policy GD5 of the current Island Plan.

This Policy has yet to be developed to identify specific strategic views and skylines. This may have been to the detriment of views of St Brelade's Bay and Ouaisné Bay from coastal national park areas with headlands offering spectacular views of both bays on popular coastal walks in the area.

The Bay is a high profile and popular scenic seaside resort that has been identified as a Tourist Destination Area in the draft Bridging Island Plan 2022-25. It also has proved popular for wealthy residents and speculative developers to construct and extend private residences.

A proposed development of luxury residential accommodation on the seafront of St Brelade's Bay recently was approved despite an adverse impact on views of its historic and iconic Conway Tower from a public path on the Le Grouin headland (as well as from the western side of its public beach).

Ouaisné Bay and St Brelade's Bay have been identified, along with Beauport Bay, as the St Brelade's Bay Coastal Unit in the Integrated Landscape and Seascape Character Assessment (ILSCA) which has provided landscape guidance in respect to development in this larger area.

However, the ILSCA:

1. has not studied, or sought to improve, the views of St Brelade's Bay and Ouaisné from the pier, the coastal footpaths that descend into the two bays from Portelet Common (Ouaisné headland) and from Beauport Bay as well as from Portelet Common itself;
2. falls sort of encouraging landscaping in the shoreline zone that would be sympathetic with the wider landscape context of St Brelade's Bay for which landscape guidance in the 1989 Environmental Improvement Plan (which the States Assembly through its approval of paragraph 4.86 of the current Island Plan sought to continue to make relevant in future Island Plans) encouraged tree planting over dune land; and
3. falls short of addressing the sprawling residential development in the shoreline zone and the built areas in Ouaisné Bay so that it is better integrated into their surrounding landscaped areas has been at the expense of the scenic charm of both bays.

In the space of ten years, a demand for sites for residential development has prejudiced the possible future acquisition of land in the shoreline zone for public amenity areas or premises for day and evening economy use of its local tourism industry. Land in the shoreline that acquires value for residential development usually becomes unviable to acquire for public amenity or day and evening economy use.

It remains uncertain if Proposal 17 of the draft Bridging Island Plan 2022-25 for a St Brelade's Bay Improvement Plan will be progressed, or if it is progressed, if that

progress will be at a rate or have content that would succeed in curtailing further residential spread at the expense of the Bay's green infrastructure and potential increase of areas supporting future public amenities and daytime and evening economy premises.

The report of the public engagement exercise carried out in connection with the St Brelade's Bay character appraisal, that is part of the core evidence base for the draft Bridging Island Plan 2022-25, found:

1. an 'overwhelming' concern that the Bay 'should be for the local community and visitors, not an elite or exclusive residential domain for the ultra-rich as it is increasingly becoming', and;
2. a concern expressed by most of the Bay's tourist businesses that 'the tourism offer needs to be supported or tourism businesses will continue to decline'.

This amendment seeks to go some way towards enabling the gradual improvement of views  from  the  public  viewpoints  mentioned  through  encouraging  appropriate landscaping to integrate built areas with surrounding areas. It also imports further restrictions on developments in the shoreline zone so that land that has potential tourist economy and public amenity development value is better preserved for the benefit of the wider community.

Financial and manpower implications  

There  are  no  financial  or  manpower  implications  in  relation  to  the  proposed amendments.

Child Rights Impact Assessment implications  

These amendments have been assessed in relation to the Bridging Island Plan CRIA. Improved  well-being  of  children  will  arise  from  improved  public  access  to,  and improved enjoyment of, a public beach and recreation area.