States Assembly | Letter - Minister for the Environment to Future Hospital Review Panel

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19-21 Broad Street | St Helier Jersey | JE2 3RR

Via email: Deputy Sam Mézec , Chair of the Future Hospital Review Panel 15 June 2023

Dear Deputy Mézec

New Healthcare Facilities Programme

I refer to your letter of 08 June in relation to the Future Hospital Review Panel's review of the above. You have requested information on a number of issues which I have sought to respond to, as set out below.

At the outset it is perhaps important to acknowledge, however, that the questions posed raise issues that touch on the process of development control, involving the management and assessment of planning applications operated by I&E (Regulation); and matters of planning policy, responsibility for which sits within the Strategic Policy, Planning and Performance division of the Cabinet Office, and the responses are provided on this basis: there is no longer any such entity as the Planning Department'.

• the Planning Department's expectations in relation to the programme and each of the sites which falls within the scope of the programme

I&E Regulation will require an oversight to each of the sites, what will be provided on the sites in terms of healthcare facilities, together with a timetable for deliverability based on the adherence to the strategic Government healthcare policies in force at the particular time.

The matter of expectation' for the use and development of sites is set by the States Assembly when it approves the Island Plan. In this respect, a short overview of the planning policy regime – limited to its location relative to the spatial strategy in addition to any site-specific polices – is provided for those sites which are known to be within the scope of the New Healthcare Facilities programme, as set out below; and extracts from the Island Plan proposals map for each are set out at appendix 1.

The sites considered are those named (but not defined spatially) in Approach to Delivering New Health Care Facilities (gov.je) (R.32/2023) and described as follows:

The New Healthcare Facilities programme will coordinate a number of subordinate projects over a number of sites, including, but not limited to; St Saviour, Overdale, Kensington Place/Gloucester Street and the former Les Quennevais School, which will now be known as the Enid Quenault Health and Wellbeing Centre.

St Saviour (St Saviour's Hospital): this site which, it is assumed, may span both sides of La Route de la Hougue Bie, generally sits within the built-up area boundary, defined as a smaller settlement within the spatial strategy of the bridging Island Plan, as determined by Policy SP2 – Spatial strategy.

As an existing healthcare facility, the policy expectation is that the site will continue to provide health and social care facilities. Its redevelopment for alternative uses will only be permitted where it can be demonstrated that all or part of the site is surplus to healthcare requirements, as set out under Policy CI2 – Healthcare facilities.

The proposed development of new or extended healthcare facilities will be supported within the built-up area; or within the grounds of an existing health care facility, under the terms of Policy CI2 – Healthcare facilities. This would include any areas of open space that are either within the existing health care facility and the built-up area.

Whilst specifically located within a smaller settlement, where there is a policy expectation that development will be limited, the existence of the former St Saviour's Hospital building, which is now largely vacant, and the potential for further development of this site, is explicitly acknowledged in the bridging Island Plan.

The development of key sites located in smaller settlements, such as St Saviour's Hospital, which may come forward over the plan period, will be guided by the preparation of supplementary planning guidance.

Overdale (Overdale Hospital): the site of the existing Overdale Hospital complex sits within the built-up area boundary for the Town of St Helier, which is defined as the island's primary centre in the spatial strategy of the bridging Island Plan, as defined by Policy SP2 – Spatial strategy.

The site of Overdale Hospital, and surrounding land, is also subject to Policy CI3 – Our Hospital and associated sites and infrastructure. This site clearly also has the benefit of planning permission for the development of a new hospital (WR - Public Inquiry Decision - Our Hospital (P.2021.1670) - Updated 17.05.2022 (1).pdf (gov.je)).

Kensington Place/Gloucester Street (General Hospital and associated land): the site of the existing General Hospital complex sits within the built-up area boundary for the Town of St Helier, which is defined as the island's primary centre in the spatial strategy of the bridging Island Plan, as defined by Policy SP2 – Spatial strategy.

Former Les Quennevais School: the site of the former secondary school sits within the built- up area boundary for Les Quennevais, which is defined as the island's secondary centre in the spatial strategy of the bridging Island Plan, as defined by Policy SP2 – Spatial strategy.

Planning permission to change the use of the site from a school to medical facility was granted in December 2021 (see: P/2021/1139 Planning Application Detail (gov.je))

• what interaction the Planning Department would expect to have with the project team ahead of the presentation of applications

The Project Team have acknowledged the need to involve and update I&E Regulation as soon as they have been able to provide information on the work that has been ongoing on the new healthcare facilities programme to date.

The progression of this involvement will be the submission of formal pre-application advice to I&E Regulation as and when the programme evolves.

• whether the Planning Department have any role in the oversight of the programme as a whole piece of work or solely in relation to the planning applications for the individual projects

I&E Regulation will consider the programme in the assessment of any pre-application or planning application submissions and whilst not directly involved in the oversight of the programme per se, it will need to be kept updated of the current status of the programme at any particular time in order to be able to offer the best advice at the time.

• what capacity the department has to deal with the applications in a timely manner

I&E Regulation is aware of the importance of the new healthcare facilities programme to Government and will respond to the submission of any pre-application advice and subsequent planning application submissions accordingly.

Further details of the programme including timescales for submission and deliverability are currently being drawn up. In addition, it is not known at this stage what route for determination any submitted planning applications will have i.e. Planning Committee or Public Inquiry called by the Minister for the Environment for example, which will need to be factored in to any consideration.

• the Department's view on the status of Policy C12 in the Bridging Island Plan and whether the principles of the policy could be used in relation to the New Healthcare Facilities Programme.

Policy CI2 – Healthcare facilities is part of the bridging Island Plan that was approved by the States Assembly in March 2022. The substance of the policy, in its entirety, is applicable to the determination of planning applications related to the development of healthcare facilities under the New Healthcare Facilities programme.

Policy UI1 – Strategic infrastructure delivery may also have relevance, but only where proposals of strategic significance could not be delivered within the existing health estate and/or within the existing built-up area.

Policy CI3 – Our Hospital and associated sites and infrastructure was developed and included in the bridging Island Plan to specifically enable consideration of the Our Hospital proposal, previously supported by the Assembly (Our Hospital Site Selection: Overdale (P.123/2020); and Hospital: preferred access route (P.167/2020)). A decision-maker will need to give consideration as to the extent to which the wider provisions of this policy, as set out at CI3 a, b, and c are material to the consideration of any subsequent proposal for development on all or part of this site.

It is also relevant to note that the principles established by the Minister's supplementary planning guidance advice note ID Supplementary Planning Guidance Our Hospital FINAL.pdf (gov.je) (May 2020) are also still material considerations.

• the process that would need to be followed in order to explore the rezoning of the green field site in St Saviour which has been indicated as a part of the site for a health village' by the Minister for Infrastructure.

This part of the request for information appears to assume that rezoning is required to enable the development of further health facilities in St Saviour.

Whilst it is not entirely clear exactly where any such further health facilities might be provided in the locality of existing health facilities in St Saviour, the assumption about the need to explore the need for the rezoning of a green field in St Saviour is considered to be flawed.

Rezoning can only take place within the context of an island plan review, where the policy basis of the planning framework provided by the plan is changed.

It is not, however, considered necessary to change the island plan policy framework in order to be able to consider, assess and enable the potential development of further healthcare facilities in St Saviour. This is because the existing planning policy framework would enable any such proposal to be considered.

The key planning policy considerations have already been identified in the responses provided above; and it is relevant to note that there are some open spaces (such as those to the west of Clinique Pinel) which sit within the defined built-up area.

I trust that this response is sufficient for your purposes at this time.

Yours sincerely