Developer wants to put homes on brewery site
Thursday 2nd September 2010, 2:29PM BST.
Flanked by architects Jamie Falla, left, and Richard Sandwith, Comprop managing director Steve Marie considers the options for the Guernsey Brewery site. (Picture by Peter Frankland, 1020344)
DEVELOPER Comprop wants to put homes on the Guernsey Brewery site, its managing director has confirmed.
Steve Marie said that the project would be likely to cost more than £20m.
The announcement comes a week after the Environment Department released a development brief giving details of what can be done with the property at the foot of Le Val des Terres.
Mr Marie said his team had studied the brief and ruled out some possibilities, including a hotel.
He added, however, that the development was at a very early stage and no firm plans were yet in place.
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More apartments for the rich? Wonderful. How about the Environment Departments grows some balls and works with Culture & Leisure to develop a design brief for this site? Surely Guernsey can’t be happy with this?
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The Developer will build what makes him money – he is a business, not a charity after all. Good to see a local architect Jamie Falla involved – I’m sure we’ll get something interesting!
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As long as they don’t put in a sh*tty glass building and keep it looking at least close to what it is now…. and continue with the hill climb as usual, then let them do it.
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Is every nice plot of land or old building along the front going to be turned into high quality, expensive appartments, that barely anybody can afford (at £20m i doubt itll be cheap housing)?
Couldnt it be a stylish modern town hotel? a nice waterfront shopping / restraunt complex? Something that would benefit the community rather than bankers who want stylish apartments.
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Its clear by the above photograph just how unsafe the present building has become ,way more than the 5 degrees of the Leaning tower of Pisa,Guernsey needs more glass fronted boxes.
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It depends on who you mean when you refer to ‘Guernsey’.
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This is a prime site. Why shouldn’t it be available to the highest bidder, that is how the market prescribes it.
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Not a surprise really is it.
They keep the rabble pacified by talk of a hotel, but this was obvious a country mile away.
I particularly loved the line “that the development was at a very early stage and no firm plans were yet in place”. So that we all think “oh, thats ok, its not decided yet”, even though the proceeding paragraph knocks out all the other options and plans are no doubt proceeding at pace to get these apartments done asap.
Sad really, would’ve been a cracking spot for a hotel, still, I guess it wont be far for the rich traders to stagger after a night of ludicrously priced Laska’s cocktails.
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if Jamie Falla is involved all I can imagine to see is concrete and glass… Not sure if that’s a good idea.
Ah well I knew they didn’t really care that much, just asked around to be polite, and then do whatever brings the most profit. It’s business baby!
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I wasn’t to worried about the site and what the developers would do, Comprop can actually do good stuff on occasion! Still, it was pretty obvious that they would opt for the residential plan from the outset. Then I saw Jamie Falla attached to the project and my heart sank like a stone. Hopefully the place is a well protected building and the facade at least will remain.
That is one person who should not have been allowed to play with lego as a kid.
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Is this the developer that owes us a cinema at Admiral Park? If planning give the green light let’s hope the Island gets something out of it too – in advance perhaps?
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A well constructed medical facility like Dignitas would save people travelling abroad . The authorities condone this kind of activity so there should be a lot of support.
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I dont think there should be any housing development at the old brewery site without parking for 2/3 cars per housing unit
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It’s a shame that a prime piece of Town sea-frontage will go to the highest bidder… that’s capitalism I suppose.
Are most of the flats (sorry, ‘apartments’ coz rich people live in them) at the new Royal site still unsold?? Including the ones which have bought as ‘buy to let’ but still not rented out?
Read more: http://www.thisisguernsey.com/2010/09/02/developer-wants-to-put-homes-on-brewery-site/#comment-75443#ixzz0ylwhCfeA
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Is this not a privately owned development, so as long as it looks nice when I pass and as long as it doent cause disruption to motorists I dont see how its got much to do with anyone else!
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I agree Simon. Just let them get on with it.
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Whats so special about the brewery site? Its an awful building. Knock it down and replace with a modern building, lets stop living in the past!
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ref these uber expensive ‘apartments’ (flats!) along the front, has anyone else noticed that the ads for the (STILL unsold, three years on) Royal Terrace ones, always have shots that strategically avoid showing the constant moving car park below?
There must be 10′s of 1000′s of cars that go past there every single day, as they will with this site, and honestly, what millionaire worth their while wants to sit in their front room and view that every day?
Yes, the nice sea views could be construed by a wily developer as making it a ‘prime site’ for the to cash in on, but in truth, residential developments along our very busy, car filled front are simply white elephants, with this one being no exception, providing nothing more than yet ANOTHER opportunity for ‘Glass Box Falla’ to build yet another…. glass box…!’
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Scarlett
The reason why they are unsold is because the asking price of £650 per square foot is on a par with Central London prices, and that’s for LOCAl market flats. That sort of price is fine for open market, but not local market.
Its also the case that local developers require the buyer to fund the building costs through stage payments. In most UK developments the developer funds the building costs and the buyer merely pays a deposit, with the balance on completion. How many buyers can realistically fund the building costs without a bridging loan (which are also very hard to get at the moment) ?
I’m afraid its nothing other than greed on the part of the developer. They get away with it in very buoyant market conditions, but not now.
Have you also noticed how the Royal apartments are fronted with beautiful granite from the seafront, but up the alleyways they are painted “Frossard House” yellow/orange. How naff is that, and at those prices?
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interesting and very informative observations, David, and IMO, all quite valid…
especially the one about greedy developers…! ;0)
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good luck to them with more flats/rabbit hutchs at stupid prices locals cant afford, just wonder if like noted before if be 2or3 parking spaces.
hillclimb bet that gets stoped by someone that moves in there reck something else over here .
reading banking took 2bill less then last year places opting out of guernsey id would lmao at the big builders building poxy flats everywhere someplaces still empty look at the royal site its yet more boxes in town save the posh parish’s wobetide some could be aloud to build a house with 3 beds parking for 2 cars an a garden for kids to play in. there private investors not states money let them get on with it but does prove money talks jo blogs on the street aloud to change his old wooden windows to plastic na not inkeeping ,and wasnt there apart of frontage of the royal ment to stay i cant see it there going to do what they want change what ever they want an not give a monkeys about what people would like lots of money talks.
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FWIW, I’d like to think that the front of the oldest part of the brewery is retained/incorporated – it’s the prettiest bit
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Scarlett / David
Totally agree with your comments.
I’m a local (by local I mean I was born here, not moved here x number of years ago)and I will never own my own property, local market prices are beyond most, unless of course daddy buys you one…..
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this would be a fantastic place to put somthing for the kids. come on guernsey, we have homes for the rich, who can afford to take their kids out everyday, we have carparks. WE NEED A PLACE FOR KIDS TO GO!!! an arcade again some pool tables, maybe a small skating rink, a soft play zone for under 8′s. a cafe for mums an dads. sorry but that would bring about a lot of money, during the week maybe with younger children, but older ones in the evenings would im sure, and weekends your have the school age down with the parents. in summer it be great, close to the beach and somewhere to play safe to
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Surely there is no need for further open market apartments? And I know there is zero want, especially on my part, for yet another ‘Glass Box’ or ‘Copper Roofed’ travesty! Why do the architects, states, and whomever else is involved, insist on changing the landscape of our island so drastically? If things keep on going the way they are we will be left with an undesirable and unrecognizable island!
I feel the space has the potential to house a fantastic ‘entertainment centre’, complete with Cinema. Seeing as the plans for a second multiplex at Admiral Park have gone!
My2cents
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i recommend the homeless occupy such sites and declare squatters’ rights. what does local law say about squatting?
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blah
If you’re found squatting in the bushes at the North plantation you’ll get a minimum £60 fine
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