Objectors seek open planning meeting for Cobo house build

Mr and Mrs P. Annegarn have submitted plans to demolish La Roseliere – an open market house at Route de Cobo, Castel – and to build a new one in its place.

The application includes erecting a detached/garage store, new vehicular access and extending the domestic curtilage, as well as building a granite wall on the west coast boundary.

The plans have met with opposition from neighbours, parish deputies and the constables, who argue that the proposed development would be too large, overbearing, intrusive and not in keeping with the surrounding area.

Mike Appelqvist, who lives between La Roseliere and Cobo Mission Hall, said it was very concerning that under the Island Development Plan, the views of existing home owners seemed to be completely irrelevant in the eyes of the Development & Planning Authority when considering new applications.

He has engaged the services of architect Andrew Ozanne in the matter.

‘Everybody is concerned about the mass, scale and inappropriateness of the proposal in the context of the architecture of Cobo,’ said Mr Ozanne.

‘When you are approaching from Le Guet, you currently see a number of traditional buildings.’

He said people had sympathy with the applicants, who had bought the property and wanted to maximise its potential, but he believed this could be done without imposing on the existing amenity.

‘Everybody wants their voice to be heard and the way that that can be done is by having an open public planning meeting. We think this is controversial enough to justify it.

‘Deputy John Gollop [Development & Planning Authority president] can instigate this and we think it’s incumbent on him to demonstrate the democratic process.

‘Deputy Gollop and his committee have a duty to be incredibly thorough in the planning process, which needs to be clear, open and transparent, or they could face a judicial review.’

Deputy Gollop said he was minded to have an open planning meeting, but had not discussed the matter with his fellow committee members.

‘I know there is significant interest in the development from the Castel deputies,’ he said.

Castel deputy Jonathan Le Tocq said he was not against development in the parish per se.

‘I don’t want to say that Cobo is closed for anyone moving in, but what is being proposed says all the wrong things for me,’ he said.

Another Castel deputy, Barry Paint, said he thought scaffolding should be erected there to show people the size of what was being proposed, even though consultation closed on 10 April.

Mr Ozanne said that could still happen because the planners had the statutory powers to defer decisions based on the fact that they needed more information.

Mr and Mrs Annegarn said they were not in a position to comment.