Field 571, La Rue du Puits Mahaut, Grouville - petition

STATES OF JERSEY

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FIELD 571, LA RUE DU PUITS MAHAUT, GROUVILLE: PETITION

Lodged au Greffe on 12th July 2005 by the Deputy of Grouville

STATES GREFFE

PROPOSITION

THE STATES are asked to decide whether they are of opinion

t o r equest the Environment and Public Services Committee to refuse to grant permission for the

development of Field 571, La Rue du Puits Mahaut, Grouville , which is currently in the Countryside Zone and in agricultural use, for commercial development.

DEPUTY OF GROUVILLE

REPORT

Standing Orders do not allow a proposition to be brought in the name of more than one private member but I must stress that this proposition is brought with the full support of the Connétable of Grouville .

In December last year the Planning Sub-Committee considered a possible footprint and elevation for this potential site, and "considered there to be sufficient justification to override the presumption against development in the countryside".

Hence, an application has been submitted to the Environment and Public Services Committee to build a shellfish processing unit and staff accommodation on Field 571, La Rue du Mahaut, Grouville .

I believe the proposed development or any commercial development will have a detrimental effect of the area for the following reasons –

• T h  e proposed development is on agricultural land which is actively farmed (currently potatoes,

previously courgettes, tomatoes and chickens). There are no existing farm buildings on the site or adjacent. The proposed development would have a serious detrimental impact on the character and quality of the surrounding countryside.

• T h e proposed development is close to a quiet residential area (there are approx 50 houses in the immediate vicinity). There are many young families and retired residents who currently enjoy the peace and tranquillity of the surrounding area throughout the day.

• V is u al Impact – The scale of the proposed development is excessive and intrusive. Rather than

being a simple agricultural packing or storage shed, the proposed development is a 2 storey high industrial unit with administration offices (approx 49m x 42m x 8m or 160ft x 140ft x 25ft), plus a separate, 2 storey high staff accommodation block. The proposed development is of a scale and mass that one would expect to see on an industrial estate. By comparison, the proposed development is considerably larger than the existing shellfish processing plant operated nearby.

• T h e proposed development would have an irreversible effect on the landscape and biodiversity of the surrounding countryside.

• R e d u ndant agricultural sites already exist in nearby locations.

• T h e r e are other considerations such as traffic, environment and the notion of workers associated with developments of this kind, having a right to live in the Countryside zone yet other people do

not.

The application goes against Environment and Public Services Committees own policies. The proposed site is designated as Countryside Zone under the Island Plan  2002.

Under the Jersey Countryside Character Appraisal (1998), it forms part of the Coastal Plain area of Grouville . The south east coast of Jersey and inter-tidal areas are designated as a RAMSAR site.

The Island Plan 2002 summarises the main issues to be considered when making policy for the countryside and sets the policies to be used when considering planning applications. It states that the Countryside Zone "will be given a high level of protection and there will be a general presumption against all forms of new development for whatever purpose."

I support a diverse economy, especially one that supports our traditional industries as well as new ones. It is important to recognise however, how much our traditional industries have changed in recent years. Gone are the days of individual small scale farms, fishing boats and land based cottage industries. They have been replaced by large sheds, industrial plants, offices and depots, serviced by huge P30 lorries and freezer trucks which usually travel at inappropriate speeds down narrow country lanes, having a detrimental effect on hedge rows, trees and the lanes themselves, together with many safety aspects.

I would be the first to recognise that fish farming and agriculture are important economic activities in Jersey and give far more to the Island than just their economic value. They need safeguarding and supporting. However there is a balance to be struck and it is an important balance that Environment and Public Services Committee are going to address, and get right, and get it right soon.

The Company that has made the application is an excellent, local enterprise and needs the support of the Assembly in establishing the right site for their land based commercial activities, which do not unreasonably affect Jersey's greatest resource – its land, and its greatest strength, its people.

There are no financial and manpower implication for the States.

APPENDIX

To: H  is Excellency Air Chief Marshal Sir John Cheshire K.B.E., C.B. To: S i r Philip Bailhache , Bailiff of Jersey

To: M  embers of the States of Jersey

The humble petition of certain of the residents of Grouville shows that the area of land titled Field 571, Rue du Puits Mahaut which is to be used as a Shellfish Processing Unit and staffing quarters for Jersey Oyster Company Ltd., is a rural part of the Island within the countryside zoning and its proposed use is totally inappropriate for this specific site. It is considered that the development will have a serious detrimental impact on the character and quality of the surrounding countryside, and could have an unreasonable impact on the local environment by way of noise, traffic, odour and other pollution.

Accordingly your petitioners pray that the land titled as Field 571 will remain as designated under the Island Plan 2002, and your petitioners as in duty bound will ever pray.

402 signatures