Old Street, St. Helier: Purchase

OLD STREET, ST. HELIER: PURCHASE _______________

Lodged au Greffe on 7th December 1999 by the Planning and Environment Committee

______________________________

STATES OF JERSEY

STATES GREFFE

175             1 9 9 9 P . 2 0 1 ( r e- i ssu  e )  

Price code: B

PROPOSITION

THE STATES are asked to decide whether they are of opinion -

  (a ) to agree, in the event of the Royal Court ordering the extinguishment of the road under the Extinguishment of

Roads (Jersey) Law 1972, to approve the purchase from the Parish of St. Helier of the northern section of Old Street, St. Helier , as shown hatched on Drawing No 585/1, for a consideration of £138,000 (one hundred and thirty-eight thousand pounds) with the public being responsible for the vendor's legal fees associated with the transfer of land and the extinguishment of the road; and to authorise the Greffier of the States to sign the said drawing on behalf of the States;

  (b ) to authorise the Attorney General and the Greffier of the States to pass on behalf of the public any necessary

contracts in connexion with the said purchase;

  (c ) to authorise the payment or discharge of any expenses incurred in connexion with the said purchase from the

Planning and Environment Committee's Capital Vote of Credit - Acquisition of Land - Major Reserve (Vote No. C0904);

  (e ) to authorise the transfer of the administration of the road once purchased from the Planning and Environment

Committee to the Finance and Economics Committee.

PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE

Notes:  1. T h e Public Services Committee's comments are to follow.

  2 . T h e Finance and Economics Committee's comments are to follow.

Report

The P.70/90 New Magistrates Court Project Group, which was set up in 1991 to procure a new Magistrates' Court decided on 10th January 1996 to adopt the States car parks located to the east of Cyril Le Marquand House and the northern section of Old Street as a preferred site for the new court, and the Finance and Economics Committee at its meeting of 24th May 1996 requested the Department of Property Services to commence negotiations for the acquisition of the aforementioned section of Old Street for the purposes of developing the new court.

The Parish of St. Helier following its Parish Assembly meeting held on the 29th October 1997 has agreed that for the sole purpose of facilitating the construction of a new Magistrates Court with the ancillary States offices that it is prepared to sell the northern section of Old Street for £138,000, which is considered to be a fair and proper price, once the roadway has been extinguished. The public will also be responsible for the reasonable legal fees incurred by the Parish of St. Helier relating to the transaction and any costs incurred in the extinguishment of the roadway and in the possible re-routing of any mains services. At its meeting of 8th December 1997, the Finance and Economics Committee supported the acquisition of the aforementioned section of Old Street for this sum.

Following its decision of the 29th October 1997 the Parish, which owns an area of land in Lemprière Street wished to identify redevelopment opportunities for the site including the obtaining of a consent to construct offices as the site lay outside the office development zone. The Parish has now received the consent and on the 2nd August 1999 the Controller of Technical and Environmental Services formally wrote on behalf of the Parish of St. Helier agreeing to the sale of the land at Old Street on the above terms.

The purchase of this section of roadway, together with the land already in public ownership adjacent to Cyril Le Marquand House, provides a sufficient area of land, of approximately 22,000 square feet, on which to construct a three-storey building totalling approximately 33,885 gross internal square feet (30,505 square feet excluding the plant room); with 12 car parking spaces for the proposed new Magistrates Courts and associated States' offices.

The acquisition of this land is crucial in enabling progress to be made with the design and construction of a long awaited, purpose built Court facility to replace the existing out-dated and poorly equipped Magistrates Court at the Town Hall .

APPENDIX