Former Auberge restaurant seeks rooms with a view
The former Auberge restaurant at Jerbourg could be demolished to make way for a luxury home which seeks to make the most of the coastal views of the island from nearly every room.
The application has been made nearly four years after the owner of the site argued that its view was no longer ‘exceptional’, when compared to newer restaurants like Octopus, as he applied to convert the former eatery to residential use.
The Auberge shut down in 2019, while a private and corporate hire venue called The View shut in 2021, leaving the once high-class restaurant empty.
The latest planning application shows that the glass-walled extension from which diners used to enjoy views of the Russel has now been demolished.
The architects were tasked to create a ‘discreet, high-quality replacement four or five-bedroom dwelling’, with ‘Guernsey barn’ proportions and pitched roofs – and to maximise the view.
The eventual design proposed features a V-shaped footprint, meaning that nearly every room, except the bathrooms, could take in the view from the east coast.
The north wing would feature four bedrooms over two floors, while the southern wing would have kitchen/living area, which would be largely double the height of the bedrooms.
While the proposed home is a two-storey building, a change in levels mean that only the second floor would be visible from the road beside the Doyle Monument.
The application also includes a two-storey garage.
The latest application came from Petit Port Pension Scheme and Andrew Haining, who bought the restaurant for £1m. in 2018.
At the time of the 2021 application for the change of use he told the planners: ‘The views are no longer exceptional.’
The applicant declined to comment on the latest application.
The building, parts of which date back to 1920, has had numerous extensions over the years, and the previous change of use application sparked nearly 70 objections, with complaints ranging from the loss of a public viewing point, to the neighbour being accused of driving the business to close.
The counter argument was that it was proving impossible to turn a profit at a niche, out-of-town site.
Architects described the plans as traditional single dwelling rebuild request within the boundaries of an approved curtilage and an effective and efficient land use response under the aims and objectives of the Island Development Plan.
The plans can be viewed at www.gov.gg/liveplanningapplications.
