Parish of Trinity: Grant of a loan (Field 818)

PARISH OF TRINITY: GRANT OF A LOAN (FIELD 818) _______________

Lodged au Greffe on 26th September 2000 by the Finance and Economics Committee

______________________________

STATES OF JERSEY

STATES GREFFE

180             2 0 0 0   P . 1 6 1          

Price code: A

PROPOSITION

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

( a ) to authorise the grant of a loan to the Parish of Trinity for the purpose of assisting in Phase I of the

development of ten retirement homes on Field 818;

(b ) to agree that the loan shall not exceed £900,000, shall bear interest at a rate of four per cent a year and shall

be payable over a period not exceeding twenty-five years on terms to be agreed with the Treasurer of the States.

FINANCE AND ECONOMICS COMMITTEE

Report

The Parish of Trinity is seeking the approval of a loan of £900,000 from the States to assist in the construction of ten units of residential accommodation for the elderly of the Parish.

The history of the proposal can be traced back to December 1996 when the Parish Assembly agreed that the Connétable should make preliminary investigations into the feasibility of providing retirement homes as a Millennium Project.

In May 1997, the Connétable reported to a Parish Assembly that Field 818 was the most suitable site and that the owner- Madok Limited (Mr. and Mrs. John Best) - was prepared to gift this field to the Parish. The Assembly approved the proposition and an application to build was submitted to the Planning and Environment Committee.

In June 1998, Field 818 was formally gifted to the Parish and a Committee was created to assist the Connétable in the preparation of plans and costings.

The Parish Assembly voted the following sums toward the project -

J u ly 1 9 9 7 £ 4 0 ,0 0 0 J u ly 1 9 9 8 £ 6 0 ,0 0 0 J u ly 1 9 9 9 £ 5 0 ,0 0 0 .

This funding has been further increased by donations from a charitable Trust, individuals and fund-raising events to the sum of £63,079.

In March 2000, detailed plans, costings and a model of the project were presented to a Parish Assembly and approved unanimously. The project received housing consent on 22nd July 1998, planning consent on 19th November 1999, and is estimated to cost £1,100,000.

The Committee charged with assisting the Connétable have, on the advice of their architect, decided to build frame form houses, supplied and erected by a Norwegian firm. This company has built a house in St. Martin which the Committee has monitored closely, and whilst not the cheapest form of construction, the design has many advantages, not the least of which is the high level of insulation. A local builder will be responsible for the whole contract and has mastered the expertise required to build this type of house.

The proposed development is Phase 1 of a two-phase project to build 24 retirement homes on Field 818. Phase 1 consists of ten one-bedroomed single-storey units with parking for 18 cars and a shared landscape garden and would be self-financing. Since the Committee approved the original request, the Parish have been able to purchase a strip of land from an adjoining landowner. This will not only improve the traffic flow on the proposed development and make access to Phase 2 of the project that much easier, but also enable the Parish to lay the foundations, e.g.  drainage, water and electricity, for Phase 2, therefore saving money in the future.

The Parish have indicated that Phase 2 of the project will not start for at least ten years, when there may be another approach to the States for finance.

The States have supported similar loans to the Parishes for the provision of retirement homes for the elderly in the past and the proposal has received the support of the Housing Committee. The Finance and Economics Committee are supporting the proposition as a method of assisting in the provision of housing within the Island.