Guernsey Housing Association (GHA) has submitted a planning application to construct six flats and three bungalows on land at Les Islets Arsenal, St Saviours; with the intention of providing a mix of rent and partial ownership homes.
The land, adjacent to the Les Islets estate, is owned by Housing* and has remained undeveloped because it includes two semi-buried German bunkers and a command centre. GHA met with representatives of Festung Guernsey, the group dedicated to preserving Guernsey’s German fortifications, before design work began and obtained details on the size and importance of the historic landmarks.
Steve Williams, Chief Executive, GHA said: “Retaining access to the command centre was deemed important, so this design proposes three bungalows are built over this structure, still allowing access to it in the future.
“The site development creates a ‘rounding off’ of the existing social housing, satisfying a rural area planning policy ‘RH2’ and the Les Islet estate neighbours will benefit from a new tarmacked road surface and additional parking spaces.”
It is hoped to have a planning permission by September 2016, a tender process for the building work with local contractors and construction to start in early 2017, with completion by early 2018.
Increasing the supply, quality and longevity of social housing has been the aim of the GHA since its inception and the organisation now has over 750 homes under its management with plans for continued development on a variety of sites across the island.