Senator Sam Mézec said the boarded-up former mental-health facility should be released for housing as it was ‘obvious’ the site would not be used for the new hospital project.
Senator Mézec has previously expressed frustration that he has been unable to increase the Island’s housing stock, as several sites were still under consideration for the hospital.
‘We are continuing to push [for the St Saviour’s Hospital site]. I accept that the hospital is an important project and it will take as long as it takes. It is obvious that it isn’t going to go on the site of St Saviour’s Hospital, and that is a site where lots of homes could go,’ he said.
Earlier this year a report found that 7,000 new homes would be needed by 2030 if the population continued to rise at the current rate.
Andium Homes’ chief executive Ian Gallichan believes the St Saviour’s site has the capacity for 80 homes which would significantly help to address Jersey’s housing crisis.
He added: ‘We are equally frustrated about the States-owned sites and the delay in having any of them transferred to Andium Homes for development.
‘A number of sites have been identified for housing for a number of years, such as the Le Bas Centre, The Bridge, d’Hautrée, the ambulance station and St Saviour’s Hospital (west), all of which would provide excellent opportunity to increase housing supply without the need to purchase land elsewhere or build on green fields.
‘In regards to St Saviour’s Hospital (west), we believe this could yield in the region of 80 new homes.’
A timeline for the £466million hospital project was released earlier this year and stated that the preferred site for the new hospital would not be announced until September 2020.
