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2015.06.02
4.6 Deputy L.M.C. Doublet of St. Saviour of the Minister for Treasury and Resources regarding possible future uses for the current Police Headquarters site at Rouge Bouillon:
Can the Minister advise whether any discussions have been held and/or decisions taken place regarding possible future uses for the current Police Headquarters site at Rouge Bouillon and give details of these, given the forthcoming relocation of Police Headquarters to Green Street?
Senator A.J.H. Maclean (The Minister for Treasury and Resources):
This is another matter that I am going to pass to my Assistant Minister although I will reassure Members they are going to hear far too much from me later on today.
Deputy E.J. Noel (Assistant Minister for Treasury and Resources - rapporteur):
The relocation of the police station and headquarters to Green Street releases a considerable amount of land on the site of the former Summerland factory, Broadcasting House and Thorpe House to go with part of the current Police H.Q. (Headquarters) and Fire Service site on Rouge Bouillon in early 2017. The former Summerland factory, Broadcasting House and Thorpe House site, together with the current Ambulance Station site, has been identified for affordable housing. Consideration of the 2 outlining planning applications for 152 properties on these 2 sites is pending completion, subject to the conclusion of a planning obligation agreement. It is proposed that the sites (when both are vacated) will be transferred to Andium Homes to prepare a detailed planning application and to develop out. A feasibility study will be undertaken this year to develop proposals for the co- location of the Fire and Ambulance Service on the current Police H.Q. and Fire Service site to provide a combined facility. However, capital funding to co-locate the fire and ambulance services is currently not proposed in the next Medium-Term Financial Plan. Funds are being sought to demolish the existing Police buildings and consideration has been given to using part of the site for a temporary car park.
- Deputy L.M.C. Doublet :
Will any consideration be given to the adjacent primary school - Rouge Bouillon Primary School - given that this is a crowded town school with limited outside space, to some of that land on one of those sites being given to the school - to the Education Department - so that the children can have a playing field and some extra outside learning space?
Deputy E.J. Noel:
Naturally we will be working in conjunction with both Andium Homes, who has an adjacent usage of the site, and also the Education Department to do exactly that to see what improvements can be made to the location. But in the short term we would like to utilise that site for a short-term car park for both residents in the area and for commuters coming down Queens Road.
- Deputy J.A. Martin of St. Helier :
The Assistant Minister said in his original answer the sites will be developed for affordable housing, and then he next said "will be turned over to Andium Homes". So will they be social rented or will they be first-time buyer or will there be a mix? Has this been thought through yet?
Deputy E.J. Noel:
I do not believe any final decisions have been made on the mix for the site but it consists of 80 apartments and 7 townhouses on the Summerland site and 65 apartments on the Ambulance site, so there is opportunity there to maybe have some mixed tenure or mixed use of affordable housing.
- Deputy G.P. Southern of St. Helier :
This is an ideal opportunity for the Ministers to demonstrate their commitment to the new regard for St. Helier in creating some extra space along with some extra housing. Will the Assistant Minister assure Members that he will be giving his and his Ministers full weight behind initiatives to create some additional space for children in this particular area?
Deputy E.J. Noel:
I am happy to give a commitment that we will be trying to create additional space for all Islanders, and particularly the residents of that area, to have additional space. That includes the children. That includes the elderly of the area. It includes the entire population of that part of Rouge Bouillon.
- Deputy G.P. Southern :
But will he be committing himself and his Minister to putting his weight behind this area as an exemplar in the earliest possible terms?
[10:15]
Deputy E.J. Noel:
I am happy to do that, not just for this particular site but throughout St. Helier . That is our fourth priority in the Strategic Plan. It is not just this area specifically. That weight will be spread throughout the whole of the town.
- Deputy J.A. Martin:
The Minister I think also said ... well, I am saying, does this all depend on the development for housing and possibly hopefully extra space for Rouge Bouillon School and people in the area? The Minister said there is no capital money for the combination of the Ambulance and Fire. How long does he think ... because I think this is a lynch pin. Will this hold this scheme up and if so how long does he envisage this to be?
Deputy E.J. Noel:
Currently there are no plans for any capital funding in the next M.T.F.P. which takes us up to the end of 2019, which it is envisaged that it will be funded in the following M.T.F.P. 3, and therefore the remainder of the site will be built out.
- Deputy J.A. Martin:
So can he just confirm that the housing project that he has just outlined will not be held up for the capital projects of the Ambulance and the Fire Station?
Deputy E.J. Noel:
The housing project can only start when both sites have been vacated.
- Deputy M. Tadier :
The obvious question is when is that likely to be? Just to confirm, did we say 2020? Deputy E.J. Noel:
I am informed that both sites will be available in the early part of 2017.
- Deputy M. Tadier :
I think the question is will there be money available in 2017? So in reality what is the earliest point that we can expect to see (a) homes starting to be built, and (b) homes being moved into on those sites?
Deputy E.J. Noel:
That is really a detailed matter for consideration by Andium as to how they build up the site. The Summerland site combined with Thorpe House, et cetera, excluding the Ambulance site, could be commenced prior to the Ambulance Station moving. But that is really a question for Andium as a developer, how they would develop out the site.
- Deputy L.M.C. Doublet :
Will the Minister perhaps talk with the Rouge Bouillon School, given that it is going to be used as a car park in the meantime, there might be some other ideas that the school might have, given how creative teachers and head teachers are in using space for children? They might have some ideas that do not cost anything that they could use that land, maybe as well as a car park or instead of.
Deputy E.J. Noel:
We have a joined-up government and of course naturally we will be - Property Holdings hopefully then combined with T.T.S. (Transport and Technical Services) - liaising directly with the Education Department to seek out the best usage of that site both in the short term and in the longer term.