States/Parish owned buildings

Request 760233122

Please list the names of all States/Parish-owned buildings in Jersey that are currently vacant and/or up for sale. 

Response 

The map linked below provides details of any buildings owned by the Public of Jersey that are currently for sale or available to let, therefore the requested information is partially exempt under Article 23 of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011. 

Public land and property (click on the pin for property/unit details) 

The requested information regarding all Government of Jersey vacant sites is exempt under Article 42 (a) (Law Enforcement) of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011. 

Article 42 is a qualified exemption, therefore, a public interest test has been applied and is shown at the end of this response. 

The information requested regarding Parish owned properties is not held by the Government of Jersey, therefore, Article 3 of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011 applies, however, it may be held by the parishes so you might wish to send your information request in writing to:  

FOI@comite.je​

Or by post to:    

Parish FOI, East Wing, RJA & HS, Trinity, JE3 5JP 

You can also find out more about making an FOI request to the parishes at  How to Make an FOI Request | Comité des Connétables (comite.je) 

Articles applied 

Article 23 - Information accessible to applicant by other means 

(1) Information is absolutely exempt information if it is reasonably available to the applicant, otherwise than under this Law, whether or not free of charge. 

(2) A scheduled public authority that refuses an application for information on this ground must make reasonable efforts to inform the applicant where the applicant may obtain the information. 

Article 42 - Law enforcement 

Information is qualified exempt information if its disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice – 

(a) the prevention, detection or investigation of crime, whether in Jersey or elsewhere; 

Public Interest test 

The following considerations were considered 

Public interest considerations favouring disclosure  

• Disclosure of the information would support transparency and promote accountability to the general public regarding the utilisation of the properties in the Government of Jersey’s property portfolio managed by Jersey Property Holdings. 
• General information can help reassure the community that risks associated with empty buildings are being addressed. 

Public interest considerations favouring withholding the information  

• Disclosure of information which would identify vacant properties, units and sites could be exploited by malicious actors to compromise the Government of Jersey’s property portfolio and would pose a real and significant risk for break-ins and or vandalism. 
• Criminal activity at empty premises increases risks to neighbouring properties, residents, and emergency services. Disclosure that elevates these risks cannot be justified 
• Increased crime would result in higher public expenditure on repairs, investigations, and emergency response, which is not in the public interest. 
  

Considering all considerations above, while transparency is important, the public interest in isclosure must be weighed against potential harm caused by the release of the details of vacant properties, units and sites. 

The SPA has concluded that, on balance, the risk to prejudice the security of government properties by increasing the risk of break-ins and or vandalism, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the benefits disclosing the information.   

Article 3 - Meaning of “information held by a public authority” 

For the purposes of this Law, information is held by a public authority if – 

(a)     it is held by the authority, otherwise than on behalf of another person; or 

(b)     it is held by another person on behalf of the authority. ​