Environment responds to media articles

Tuesday 17 August 2010

In response to articles and comments that have appeared recently in the Guernsey Press, the Environment Department would like to confirm to readers that a formal decision regarding the application at Leale’s Yard has not yet been reached.

A planning deferral has been sought by the Board in order to seek revisions to the submitted scheme. Deferral is an aid to the decision making process. In essence, a deferral is a mechanism by which the States can ensure that the best long term outcome is achieved in the interests of the whole community. Suggestions of Appeal or other legal action are therefore premature.

In discussing the application, the Board has acted in a clear and transparent manner which confirm entirely within the rules concerning probity, and has avoided any bias entering the planning process.

Deputy Tasker absented herself from the meeting during the discussion due to her position on the Board of the CI Cooperative Society. Deputy Honeybill abstained from voting, and his involvement with the Town Centre Partnership does not amount to a ‘special interest’ within the rules of procedure for committee meetings. The Department is satisfied that Deputy Honeybill approached this application from an entirely open-minded, unbiased position and that there is no substance whatsoever to any allegation of bias in this matter.

Letters concerning the deferral of the application were e-mailed to the applicant, Leale’s Yard Limited, and to their agent prior to the Department’s media release being issued. Any lack of communication between the applicant or their agent and the CI Cooperative Society is therefore a matter for them.

We would like to also confirm that there has been no movement of ‘goalposts’ concerning this development. The proposal was submitted as a formal planning application a year ago and since then extensive consultations have been undertaken on this major development scheme, including in relation to significant urban design and traffic issues and through the commissioning of an independent report from Roger Tym and Partners to evaluate the applicant’s own retail study.

The current position is a natural outcome of that objective and comprehensive planning process and is in no way inconsistent with informal advice that has been offered previously to the developers. Pre-application advice was offered by the previous Board prior to the submission of the application and clearly set out the matters that would need to be addressed in a planning application for the development. The current Board position is entirely consistent with that advice.

We hope that this response explains our current position clearly. The States is committed to being open and transparent in its dealings with the media and public. It is in our own interest to work with the media quickly and honestly. In view of this, the Board has decided to place the minutes relating to this item on its website, accessible at www.gov.gg/planning.

This is on the basis that although the new open planning meeting system is imminent but not yet in place, the final determination of this application will be under that new system and the minutes will be relevant as background information at that time.