Elizabeth Harbour redevelopment plans approved

Multimillion-pound plans to replace the Elizabeth Harbour passenger terminal and reclaim more land to create a larger area for handling lifeline freight shipments have been approved by Jersey's planning committee.

The decision, which is subject to certain conditions, was announced after the application had been discussed at a public meeting at St Paul's Centre in St Helier on Thursday.

Ports of Jersey said approval of its redevelopment plans marked "a significant milestone for the island" and work would begin in the final quarter of 2025.

The island's largest freight company, Ferryspeed, welcomed the "principle of the application", but expressed concerns about some of the details.

Members of the planning committee sought further information about the potential noise and environmental implications of dredging the harbour, before they agreed to grant permission for the project.

As one of the conditions of approval, Ports of Jersey will have to monitor areas of protected seagrass.

Chief executive Matt Thomas said he was delighted with the planning committee's decision.

He said as a result of the redevelopment, passenger facilities would be improved and freight capacity would be increased, providing "30 years worth of resilience for our critical lifeline supply chain".

Mr Thomas also said new jobs would be created during the construction phase, while new public realm areas would be built for islanders to enjoy.

"This marks a significant milestone for the island, reflecting our commitment to enhancing our maritime infrastructure, supporting economic growth, and improving passenger experience," Mr Thomas said.

"Now that we have the go-ahead for our plans, we look forward to progressing the project and starting the first stages of the development."

Architect Richard Le Sueur, who represented the directors of Ferryspeed at the planning committee hearing, agreed the port was "desperately in need of renewal".

He said the firm had concerns "regarding both the port side and the land side part" of the approved application, particularly in relation to moving the location of the existing lift-on, lift-off (LoLo) crane operation.

"On the port side, the new LoLo terminal will be far more exposed to prevailing winds than it is at the moment at the North Quay, so they will need tugs nearly all the time to berth ships," Mr Le Sueur said.

"There will be more days when they can't dock because of bad weather, and if and when they do that it will be more expensive, potentially trickier, more difficult to offload and the like, so we don't see that as a like for like replacement...we see it as a serious degradation of what there is there now."

Mr Le Sueur said Ferryspeed and Ports of Jersey had been discussing the proposals "for several years", adding the freight firm had hoped "these issues could have been resolved before the decision today".

"It is very unfortunate that they haven't, particularly because now we have got this tender uncertainty," he continued, referring to ongoing questions over which ferry company will provide long-term passenger and freight services for Jersey.

He said: "One of the issues with logistics and handling freight is you need to know what boats are involved.

"All that seems to be up in the air at the moment and really it is going to be difficult for these logistics matters to be resolved until the ferry tender is decided."

Ports of Jersey first revealed its plans to expand harbour operations and "ensure the port's long-term viability" in September 2022.

A public consultation followed, before plans were formally submitted in February 2023.

Later in 2023, Ports of Jersey was given permission to borrow up to £150m to help fund its plans to redevelop the harbour and airport.