Jersey Royal Company Proposes Turning Talana Hotel into Worker Housing

The Jersey Royal Company has submitted plans to convert the vacant Talana Hotel on Bagot Road into accommodation for its workers.

The planning application, recently lodged by the potato exporter, seeks a change of use for the site following the company’s acquisition of the hotel.

A document supporting the application highlighted that the company currently provides housing for its employees through a mix of arrangements, including porta-cabins, block-built flats, and farm cottages—most of which are rented from former farmers and restricted to agricultural workers.

Since Albert Bartlett purchased the business last year, the combined operation now employs up to 300 migrant workers, putting pressure on the available accommodation. The company noted that 12 farm workers had to be housed temporarily in the Sarum Hotel, “at considerable expense.”

The proposal outlines that the Talana Hotel features one single and 40 double bedrooms, all with en-suite bathrooms, which would be repurposed to meet the housing needs of the company’s workforce.