Members commended the scheme from Alistair and Amelia Calvert for a five-bedroom dwelling to replace Seymour Farm, close to Victoria Tower above Gorey, for its quality and design.
The house, designed by UK classical and traditional buildings specialists ADAM Architecture, will resemble a classic Jersey Cod House, but it will be a third smaller than the existing late-19th century barns.
Under the plans adjacent barrack buildings, originally part of a Victorian-era Royal Navy naval school, are being retained and restored.
In approving the application, committee chairman Deputy Graham Truscott said to Mr and Mrs Calvert: ‘I congratulate you for following a process that spoke to the department and that spoke to your neighbours. I feel that is so important to get people on board and then to decide when there was an objection to adapt to that. What we have here is a really good piece of architecture.’
Although the site is in the green zone, where there is a presumption against new development, it was recommended for approval as the existing buildings were redundant and investigations by the applicant had established that they could not be converted as per their original set of plans.
The Planning Department, which recommended the scheme be approved, felt that it would be an improvement to the surrounding area.
During the public consultation process, Planning received 15 responses, six of which objected to the development, including the National Trust for Jersey, which owns Victoria Tower. There were seven letters of support from other neighbours who expressed opinions that the current buildings were an eyesore. No objectors attended the meeting to speak against the application.
However, Planning heritage buildings officer Tracey Ingle argued for the barns to be retained, even though they are not listed buildings.
She said: ‘I believe these barns were built as a prestigious set of buildings to have a significance in their location. These buildings have a relevance and this needs to be considered.’
The development will also include a garage and workshop as well as a swimming pool. Farmland to the rear of the property will remain in agricultural use, and while parts will be taken into domestic curtilage, boundary changes will increase the amount of land available for cultivation.
Committee members Deputies Truscott, Scott Wickenden, Rowland Huelin and Jeremy Maçon voted in favour of the scheme, but St Lawrence Constable Deidre Mezbourian opposed the application, saying the existing buildings should be preserved.
