The notice requires the owner of the derelict hotel in St Martin’s to improve the condition and appearance of the site which is ‘currently negatively affecting the area and posing a risk to safety’.
The Development & Planning Authority said the notice had been served following unsuccessful attempts to resolve the matter informally.
‘Serving someone with a Land Amenity Improvement Notice is a last resort,’ said DPA president Neil Inder.
‘We’d much rather have sorted this informally, but despite our efforts, this wasn’t possible. We can’t stand idly by while these eyesores still exist as blots on our landscape, which is why we’ve taken action.
‘Tatty commercial buildings can bring down a whole area – and owner responsibility extends further than their premises.’
Deputy Inder said it was important to clarify that these notices could not be served on people’s homes and gardens.
‘We’re looking at visitor accommodation, like this one, and are considering a number of premises in town,’ he said. ‘Where owners look like they don’t care about a building, the DPA will act for the greater good of the neighbours and islanders.’
The DPA described the site, rebranded as the Forest Park Hotel shortly before it closed in 2016, as being ‘in disrepair’, adding that it had been been subject to vandalism and graffiti.
Windows and doors are boarded up, broken and missing, and there is a broken conservatory on site too.
It added that the vegetation on the site was also significantly overgrown, while old furniture and litter, including broken glass, had been dumped there.
The last boarding permit for the hotel was issued in 2015.
It was revoked the following year and the hotel closed, having been classified as unfit for human habitation.
Since then, there have been pre-application planning inquiries about redeveloping the site, and it was listed as one of several which would be permitted to change from visitor accommodation to certain residential uses.
The owners are registered as St Margaret’s Lodge Hotel Limited with an address in St Saviour’s.
They have been given until 3 January 2027 to carry out the works.
The notice states that if the works are not carried out the DPA may do the work without the owners’ consent and charge them for reimbursement.
Costs incurred can then be attached to the land as a secured debt, in the same manner as a mortgage, or the DPA can sue for repayment.
Failure to comply is an offence that may result in a fine, with a figure to be established by the Royal Court.
The new law came into force on 11 February 2025, and although this is the first notice of its kind to be formally issued, the DPA said an informal approach had been used in other cases, including to successfully secure the clearance of the site of the former Idlerocks Hotel at Jerbourg.
The notice outlines 12 specific tasks to be carried out, from cleaning pitched roofs with a suitable fungicidal wash to installing a new secure pool cover.
The owners have a right of appeal which must be made within 28 days of the date that the notice was served.
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