CI TRADERS wants to add another two retail units to the Manor Stores site in St Martin’s. The company has asked the Environment Department to confirm whether the area would be defined as a rural centre in the review of the Rural Area Plan.

Last year it applied to the department’s predecessor, the Island Development Committee, for extra retail and commercial space at the southern end of the site. But plans were rejected because the area was green zoned.

‘They want to develop it by about 145ft. Already there is a finger of development projecting from there and within it there are several retail units,’ said Advocate Roger Perrot.

CI Traders wants to extend the building towards the raised part of the existing car park.

Advocate Perrot criticised the IDC for what he called ‘the ability from time to time to change the extent of what was called zoning so that no one could know whether something would be possible’.

‘It is one thing to change something from site-specific, but it is quite another to allow the Environment Department to do what they are doing and everybody needs to know what might be embraced by ﾓrural centreﾔ.’

He also asked if the department could be site-specific or change the wording of the new policy.

Advocate Perrot told the inquiry that the company believed that Manor Stores was part of the rural centre because of the extent of development along Grande Rue.

‘It used to be that the centre was at the other end, but the IDC has allowed extensive development of this site and what is being proposed would confine itself to the existing building.’

It was not the first time that clarification had been sought for the definition of a rural centre.

Damon Hackley, from the department, confirmed that the area did fall within a rural centre, but said that it did not support a re-wording of the policy because it would be difficult to implement.

Neighbours raised objections to the representation on a number of grounds, including increased traffic.

‘For the past 50 years the site and the whole parish have changed. I have seen this site change many times and I don’t believe that unrestricted expansion should be allowed,’ said one man.

Advocate Perrot said the group would now have to take its chance in submitting any further plans, but that it had no intention of developing sideways.

‘I hope that it is an assurance because if an application does go in to the Environment Department, they [residents] could object because of what I have said today.’