New accommodation pods for St Helier Marina

Ports of Jersey is preparing a planning application to install up to six accommodation pods in St Helier Marina.

The floating pods would be attached to the new L-shaped pontoon near the Lifeboat Café and would make use of a shallow area which has been used recently for storage. The pods would be connected to all mains services, including electricity, running water and waste removal, and would meet all fire safety and other regulations.

The 4-berth pods would be available to rent, primarily by people arriving in RIBs and other boats without cabin facilities. However, they would also be available for rent by other sailors and Island residents.

The ambition is to source pods which use sustainable materials. Similar structures are in use in other marinas: –

Neyland Yacht Haven – Haven Pod | Discover our eco-friendly floating Pods (yachthavens.com)

Tattenhall Marina – Luxury Floating Pods in Cheshire (tattenhall-marina.co.uk)

Head of Maritime Operations, Louise Stafford, said: “This is a really exciting development which would diversify the facilities in St Helier Marina and offer alternative accommodation for both visiting sailors and local residents. The area is currently unproductive and is too shallow for large yachts, so this is a great way to help the blue economy and add to Jersey’s tourism offering.”

Until 2014 the space being proposed for the pods was occupied by a vehicle linkspan, which was used to load vehicles on the passenger car ferries when they used to berth at Albert Pier. This was removed as part of the upgrade to the nearby Albert pier pontoons. More recently the area has been used to store unused pontoons and a working barge platform. An alternative storage area for the barge platform will be identified.