St Martin’s Hotel site work could have started in 2010
The managing director of the development company which owns the derelict St Martin’s Hotel has blamed the planning process for no progress on redeveloping the site for almost 15 years.
In a letter to the Guernsey Press, published today, George Wilkinson has also revealed that he has had discussions with the States about selling the site to the government to be developed.
A framework for the derelict hotel on Les Merriennes was approved by the Development & Planning Authority in January 2024. It has indicated that between 62 and 75 dwellings for general housing could be built on the site, or up to 112 sheltered housing or key worker units.
When the company was first looking to develop the site in 2010, it was given planning permission for only 35 apartments. Mr Wilkinson said that if the site had been given the 2024 allocation at that stage, he would have envisaged building being completed within five to 10 years of its purchase in 2007.
The 1.25 hectare site stands within the St Martin’s local centre boundary. The establishment closed in 2010, having been used as a lodging house-style establishment in its last years.
St Martin’s constable Dave Beausire, who had raised the possibility of a compulsory purchase of the site to get construction moving, said he was very impressed with the detail of Mr Wilkinson’s reply.
‘It gave a real insight into the problems he has faced,’ he said.
‘I applaud him in writing the letter and sharing this information with us. It would be good to hear from other developers in a similar way about what is holding back development at other sites.’
Mr Beausire, who is campaigning against the re-zoning of greenfield sites in the parish for affordable housing development under the review of the Island Development Plan, added that the douzaine, and he suspected the general public, did not know that any negotiation with the States regarding this site had taken place.
‘We recently had an opening meeting with four States members, two from the DPA, and no one mentioned this,’ he said.
‘It is disappointing that he hasn’t heard back from the States since meetings in March.’
Mr Beausire maintained that the States should not be looking at building homes on new sites while there were older sites still waiting to be developed.
‘You should not be allocating new sites if there are reasons others are not progressing. And this shows things need to progress more quickly.’
