Hey guys,
Just wanted to say thank you for all your information. I've been doing quite a bit of research myself and I did get in touch with the CAA. I will need to supply an audiogram but they said there may be a way round my problem.
My own research into the actual JAA documentation shows a section relating specifically to unilateral deafness and essentially says that if I can pass a speech recognition/ATC interaction test in a simulated environment, then medical certification is recommended. A similar case exists in the CASA (Australian) documentation where if you hearing loss is more than the limits described, a speech test is given to determine whether you pass or not. I am considering the Qantas training program because I already have Australian citizenship and can get a permanent residency visa fairly easily. Not to mention Qantas fly to some interesting places around the world!
It seems things are quite promising!
Thanks again for all your advice.
James