Ronez Quarries planning application (FOI)

​Request

I query a planning application number 0714 by Ronez Quarries to extend their quarrying to the West.

I need to know under what terms does Ronez gain the ownership of public land at Sorel Point in order to conduct commercial quarrying, my understanding being that public land is being exchanged for two small agricultural fields that in turn will be leased to the Jersey Motor Cycle and Light Car Club for the extension of their motorcycle "motocross" circuit. 

Response

At this present time no legal agreement has been passed through the Royal Court in relation to Ronez Limited's proposal to extend Ronez Quarry west onto part of Sorel headland. The public authority is therefore refusing this request under Article 33(b) Commercial Interests of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011. 

Exemption applied:

Article 33(b) - Commercial interest - prejudice commercial interests

Information is qualified exempt information if:

(b) its disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice the commercial interests of a person (including the scheduled public authority holding the information).

Justification for exemption

The contract lease of the property in relation to this has yet to be completed through the Royal Court.

As the exemption is a qualified exemption there is a need for the public authority to assess the public interest when making the decision, as to whether the information should be released or not. At this present time the fine detail of the lease is deemed to be of commercial interest both to the public authority and to the third parties. There is a need for public authorities to have transparency, accountability, financial and good decision making. It also needs to consider at what time it is appropriate to release information into the public domain and this information will become available once the legal processes have taken place.

The timescale for the release will be as and when the contract lease in relation to this matter passes through the Royal Court. It will then become public knowledge, as the contract lease will be available to view on the "Public Registry Index and Document Enrolment" (PRIDE) system, which can be accessed either at the Public Registry, in the basement of the States Building, or at the Jersey Archive on Clarence Road.