Jersey's new States to decide on buying land for hospital at Overdale

Jersey's new government will have the final say on the compulsory purchase of land needed for the Overdale hospital.

The outgoing Chief Minister agreed not to press ahead with the final stage of the process for the £804.5m project.

However, John Le Fondre said cancelling the project would require States approval and could cost the island "many more tens of millions of pounds".

He had been asked to defer the decision by the Constable of St Helier Simon Crowcroft.

Officials from his parish received 11 compulsory purchase notices on Tuesday 21 June, the day before the 2022 election polling day.

Planning permission for a new hospital at Overdale was granted in May.

Although he was not re-elected, Mr Le Fondre remains Chief Minister and retains the responsibility for all Jersey government ministries until a new chief minister is elected on Tuesday 5 July.

In a letter to Mr Le Fondre sent on 28 June, St Helier Constable Simon Crowcroft said the new government and parishioners needed time to consider a £5.2m offer for the parish-owned land.

He told the outgoing chief minister a Parish Assembly was due to be held on Wednesday 13 July, at which parishioners would vote on the offer.

Mr Le Fondre has now confirmed he is "not minded" to issue the final compulsory purchase notice, which would signal the end of the process.

"Accordingly, this matter will be one for the new [environment] minister to determine," he said, in a letter to Mr Crowcroft.

Mr Le Fondre said that to date, no land or property had been bought for the hospital project through compulsory purchase.

He said he hoped the transfer of the parish-owned land could also be completed through negotiation.

Despite handing control of the hospital project and its £804.5m budget to the new government, Mr Le Fondre warned delays were estimated to cost the island £100,000 a day.

He said: "Furthermore, any cancellation in the project will require a new States decision and a recognition that the potential loss to the taxpayer of the only scheme to have planning permission will be many more tens of millions of pounds (in abortive costs as well as the cost of a new application, which based on past experience is likely to be a very significant sum of money)."

Separately, Mr Le Fondre has confirmed work is due to begin to transform the former Les Quennevais School into a health facility, so that services currently at Overdale can be temporarily relocated there.

He said contracts were signed after planning permission for the new Overdale hospital was granted.

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