PLANS to install six floating pods in St Helier Marina have been given the go-ahead, with Ports of Jersey hoping to open the first two this summer.
The units will be available as short-term accommodation for visiting boat owners and Islanders.
The pods, which will be between the Lifeboat Café and the St Helier RNLI lifeboat station, will have a bedroom, living room, bathroom and utility closet.
Guests will be able to use a balcony on each side – one facing towards the pontoon and the other towards the harbour.
The pods are expected to be around 4m wide and 5.5m long.
Economic Development Minister Kirsten Morel gave the proposal his backing, saying that it fits in with recent tourism strategies to offer creative and new experiences over traditional hotel stays.
Minimum sizes for tourist accommodation were scrapped recently, which means it will be possible for guests to stay in the huts.
Further details provided with the planning application sought to reassure planning officers that the pods were moored to the pontoon, which has enough support for them to weather high tides.
The Ports of Jersey team also said they would manage bookings so as to avoid extreme tides.
The application also gained the support of Tricia Warwick, chief executive officer of Visit Jersey, who wrote a letter in support of the proposal.
Two public comments were made on the application: one supporting it as long as the pods were built with modern standards of thermal efficiency in mind, and the other arguing that the area should be used for mooring space.
