However, their advice came too late to be considered when the land at Bel Royal was rezoned for housing in the 2002 Island Plan.
Health officials only raised concerns that the site was potentially unsuitable for housing after the States debate on the Plan, which sets out which areas of land can be built on during the next ten years and beyond.
The issue in this case was that noise from Jersey Steel Company (1955) Ltd would cause a nuisance for residents of any new estate.
The JEP has learned that in the autumn of 2001 environmental health officers said they had no comment to make during consultation on plans to rezone the land at Bel Royal in the Island Plan.
However, three weeks later – when it was too late to influence the States debate on that proposition – they changed their minds.
By then, the officers had decided that noise from Jersey Steel’s site would cause a nuisance.
Their failure to air their concerns in time was raised in the States last week by St Lawrence Deputy Deidre Mezbourian.
She suggested that the outcome of the States’ rezoning debate during discussions on the Strategic Plan could have been different had Members been aware of the noise nuisance concerns.
