THE controversial decision to build homes on the Goose Green site would not have been taken if the States had been in possession of all the facts, an official report has concluded.
A committee of inquiry has concluded that the States might not have elected to rezone the site had they been given all necessary information in July 2002. And it says that plans to keep parishioners informed were ‘hopelessly
inadequate’.
The decision to agree to a housing scheme at Goose Green – areas which are prone to flooding – was taken by Environment Minister Freddie Cohen. A critic of the scheme, St Lawrence Constable Geoffrey Fisher, proposed that the committee be set up to look into the way the 102 houses were approved in March last year despite only 97 homes being recommended in the 2002 Island Plan.
The three-man panel spent two days interviewing a number of people, including Mr Fisher, Environment Minister Freddie Cohen, Planning director Peter Thorne and officers from Environmental Health. The report, which was released on Friday, states that the attempt to keep parishioners informed ‘backfired seriously’ and that the Planning application process ‘was not acceptable’.
Article posted on 22nd September, 2008 - 3.01pm
21 Article Comments
typical Jersey way of doing things.
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Will there be an apology from Mr Cohen or his staff and a pledge to try and get it right next time?
No
If there is an enormous flood down there will Dandara be compensating the residents when they cannot get insurance?
No
Will the Jersey taxpayer via the kind offices of the States of Jersey be picking up the bill?
Yes
Will Mr Cohen be reelected despite this mess?
Sadly yes
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Every member of the public knew this development should never have gone ahead – so why why did it get the green light? Freddie Cohen ought to face up to his diabolical decision & resign.
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You couldn’t write farce like this if you tried. It reinforces my view that so many of the States Ministers and our senior Civil Servants are now totally beyond reproach, They seem to be accountable to no one, capable of nothing other than chaos and completely unwilling and unable to accept and take responsibility (and I mean responsibility) when they screw up. The greatest sadness and frustration is we seem to see this happen repeatedly in many cases, yet never learn from our mistakes.
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So will it be knocked down then?
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Well done freddie, add it to your list of failures
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The name was a clue, Goose Green Marsh.
definition of Marsh: In geography, a marsh, or morass, is a type of wetland which is subject to frequent or continuous inundation
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We told you so.
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The Island Plan is currently under review with the single aim of finding sites for thousands of new houses (up to 9500 last I heard) to feed the demands of the Finance Industry. You can expect another ten years of this, and many more important natural areas disappearing under tarmac and concrete. Well done to all concerned, you inherited a beautiful little island and immediately set about destroying it. Greed, greed, greed and stupidity.
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Hardly a controversial decision, everyone knew it was flawed and was against it. How much information is needed to know that building on a marsh would have negative repercussions? It is lack of simple common sense that is runing our Island.
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It has been said all along. Just like Les Pas, Freddie was afraid to turn the development down because Dandara would have sued, and he was scared to lose. The reason he gave was that the devlopers had been given “Officer Advice” that this level of development would be allowed. If he had had the guts to let the courts decide, then this could all have been avoided. As it is, the developers can do what they want. Let’s hope any future advice to developers is within acceptable parameters.
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The same outrageous overriding approval was made by Freddie Cohen with regards to the Portelet headland… Once again the developer is Dandara, once again the public were strongly opposed, once again an area rezoned that shouldn’t have been and once again Freddie Cohen did not listen !
Why should he care?
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The people who have put thier hard earned savings into buying one of these houses should start approaching Dandara to seek some kind of agreement or contract against Flooding. If we have a torrential downpour what have the residents got as protection? I have started to question the integrity of the Minister even more just recently as more and more information keeps coming out the woodwork. Like the trip to Ireland before a contract was signed with Harcourt?
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Another States fiasco. It is hard to believe how these people get out of bed in the morning. They are surely brain dead. We would be better off having some amoebas running the States. Hopeless.
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Well said Si-indeed the word “Marsh” does give a slight clue as to the nature of the area-not sure which school Freddie went to but perhaps geography was not his strong point. I pity anyone buying one of these places because they will surely be up against some horrendous problems in the future.
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Goose Green Marsh. I’m speechless on this one!!
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Easy solution really. Nobody buy them.
If anyone is foolish enough to buy one I would first check with an Insurance company whether they would be able to get flood insurance – unlikely if the floods in the UK are anything to go by.
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Try Understanding the Reality
I am a Jersey born and bred first time buyer who cannot wait to move into my property at La Providence. I had reservations when i heard about the potential flooding and undertook independent research before purchasing.
The reality is:-
Fact 1 – La Providence is NOT built on Goose Green marsh. It is located north of that land and thousands of houses would be flooded before water reached even the lowest lying property on the development.
Fact 2 – The pumping station they are providing will benefit all of the homes in the surrounding area, protecting the most vulnerable properties from future potential flooding which doesn’t include those at La Providence.
Fact 3 – Noise levels from Jersey Steel have been investigated and a number of measures put into place to reduce any impact. On investigation I found out that there have been no complaints about noise from existing residents since Jersey Steel stopped working at weekends.
Fact 4 – I have checked the information and can verify that the site has been visited by a number of insurance companies and an independent assessor, all of whom have agreed there is no risk of flooding. I have had no trouble acquiring quotes for either buildings or contents insurance for my property.
Unlike many of the comments and reports i have seen, what i have written is from a position of knowledge and fact rather than supposition and rumour.
The houses at La Providence are providing me and many other first time buyers the chance to live in a family home built to exceptional quality – thats the reality.
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The problem with flooding was never that of the new development. Everyone knows that they are above the marsh, not on it.
The worry of the residents as expressed on numerous occasions, and rejected out of hand by the developer, the developer’s appointed consultants and the planning minister and his department, was and is that the properties below the development will be more prone to flooding. Even with the pumping station, which, by the way, was supposed to be completed before the development started, (a condition subsequently changed to “before any houses on the development are occupied”) the fact that a massive area of previously absorbent land has now been replaced with concrete, bricks, mortar and tarmac. This will cause far more run-off during periods of wet weather with significantly less water being absorbed into the ground.
You may well be able to get insurance for your new property. What about those who have been living to the south of the marsh for many years? If you believe that the situation of these properties will be improved, you are at best naive.
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Dandara’s PR department have been working overtime on this development. La Providence Buyer has been fed the line very effectively, especially the part about “exceptional quality”.
As an owner of a property to the south of this development I am well used to being fed Dandara spin. The reality is:-
Dandara are advertising the first phase and promising “be in your house for Christmas” yet the pumping station has not progressed beyond the planning notice. Presumably we can expect “exceptional quality” on that as well.
Yes, “thousands of homes” would have to flood before La Providence, so that’s all right then. We will be looking up at you crammed together, all snug and dry, while we suffer the consequences of greedy developers and incompetent planners and politicians.
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“Goose Green Marsh” means different things to different people, because there is no such place. St. Peter’s Marsh (’Le Marais de St. Pierre’ or ‘Le Commune ou Marais de St. Nicolas’) is west of le Perquage and St. Lawrence’s Marsh is to its east.
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