THE owner of the former Nude Dunes building at La Pulente has submitted new plans to turn the site into an “economically viable” beach café rather than a high-end restaurant – after politicians last month voted against a proposal to convert part of the site into self-catering accommodation.
The proposal, which aims to make the premises more attractive to potential buyers and to make it a “viable” business, comes as site owner Nadia Miller is also appealing against the Planning Committee’s rejection of the previous application.
The committee’s decision followed concerns about potential “creeping” development and “privatisation” of a public site.
The new application outlines plans to remodel the existing restaurant into a beach café, enclose the south-western terrace to create 42 square metres of all-weather dining space, and create a single unit of tourist accommodation.
A statement supporting the application reads: “The restaurant in its current format is economically unviable.
“The restaurant has been closed for over a year and, despite extensive marketing and publicity, no buyer for the premises can be found.
“It is clear that something must be done to reopen these vacant premises to the public.”
It continued: “The applicant’s aim is to reopen the premises as an economically viable beach café, and to provide a unit of tourist accommodation at the premises.
“The high-end restaurant, with its integral problems of a kitchen that is too small to serve such an establishment, would be rectified by remodelling the business around the provision of a beach café at the premises.”
The former restaurant, which was previously put on the market for £3.5m, then later for £2.2m, has been on sale for 18 months – with Ms Miller explaining that she cannot negotiate the asking price for “legal reasons”.
“It appears unlikely that a new restaurant operator will be found for the premises,” the planning statement reads.
“There is strong concern that if an operator were found willing to take a risk, they would meet the same fate as Nude Food.
“Therefore, something must be done to bring the premises back into productive use.”
This, the application argues, is due to how restaurants are currently facing challenging conditions and spiralling costs – evidenced by the closure of Sugar Banana Thai Kitchen in St Aubin in November.
It also points to the previous success of The Hideout – a kiosk that operated on the slipway for seven years – for showing that there would be “demand for a small-scale beach café at the site”.
The proposal includes plans to enclose the south-western terrace with a glazed aluminium frame structure and add a retractable roof to the north-eastern terrace.
“These enclosures would allow the south-west terrace to be used year-round, increasing the economic viability of the café,” the application reads.
“Due to the climate of Jersey, the outside terraces are realistically only usable during the warmer summer months in dry weather.
“Jersey’s climate renders these external terraces unusable for the majority of the year.”
The statement suggests that the original designer of the premises was “overly optimistic” about Jersey’s weather conditions – and how the outdoor terraces would be used.
“Climate change is occurring and global temperatures are rising, and the reality of this is becoming more apparent,” it added.
The proposed beach café would occupy 135sq-m, including a kitchen, storage, and an enclosed terrace.
The tourist accommodation would comprise 97sq-m, including two bedrooms, a living area, bathroom, and an office space with views across St Ouen’s Bay.
The application adds: “Self-catering tourist accommodation, especially something as unique as the accommodation proposed, would act as a boost to the local economy as visitors spend money locally on food, activities, and other services, thereby supporting local businesses such as shops, restaurants, and attractions.”
