Hotel Plans ‘Weakened’ by Removal of Sports Facilities

A proposed hotel and conference centre near Jersey Airport has been labelled “significantly weakened” after plans for new indoor sports and leisure facilities were dropped from the scheme.

The development, put forward by Strive Health Club, now outlines a 155-room hotel with a conference venue, spa treatment areas, swimming pool and 117 parking spaces. Earlier proposals had been larger, featuring 179 bedrooms, expanded parking, and additional leisure amenities.

Planning officials from the Cabinet Office’s Place and Spatial Planning team said the revised submission represents a standalone hotel in a rural setting, meaning it would need exceptional justification to gain policy support.

The original application was rejected by the States of Jersey planning committee in November. Following that decision, managing director Ben Harvey confirmed the developers chose to submit updated plans rather than lodge an appeal.

Key changes include the removal of previously proposed “state-of-the-art” all-weather sports training facilities, once described as the third phase of the project. Officials said those elements were central to the wider masterplan and their absence undermines the case for the development.

While authorities acknowledged that a high-quality hotel and spa could benefit the local economy, they concluded that the missing sports complex was crucial to the project’s overall viability. Without it, they said, the proposal lacks the strategic backing the full scheme might have secured.

Planning officers have encouraged the applicant to resubmit a combined proposal that reinstates the sports facilities so the entire vision can be assessed together.