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The Government may develop a policy to buy land by compulsory purchase to build affordable homes, if not enough is allocated in the Island Plan.
It has said it will explore the potential for developing a compulsory purchase policy, which will include “consideration of under which circumstances compulsory purchase action would be appropriately pursued”.
The three-year 'Bridging Island Plan' (BIP), which will be form the blueprint for all planning decisions until 2025 and is due to be debated next month, already includes a policy which says: “Where the development of affordable homes on sites allocated for this purpose has not commenced within three years of the approval of this plan, they may be subject to compulsory purchase by the States of Jersey.”
However, any decision to exercise compulsory purchase powers first requires it to be authorised by the States Assembly.
Exploring the potential for a new compulsory purchase policy is one of a number of actions that the Government pledges to make in its reply to a detailed Scrutiny report into the supply and delivery of affordable homes.
Pictured: The Scrutiny Panel's recommendation (left) and the Government's reply (right).
The BIP makes provision for 4,310 new homes over the next three years, including 1,660 affordable homes, of which 610 will be built on rezoned green fields.
In November, Ministers committed to bring forward land to accommodate over 800 units over the next five years on a range of Government-owned sites.
Replying to the Scrutiny report, Environment Minister John Young, Housing Minister Deputy Russell Labey and Chief Minister Senator John Le Fondré accept a number of recommendations.
These include:
Scrutiny also raised concerns that, while the Government has seeking to increase housing supply, it was going very little to manage supply.
One of the panel’s key findings was that “a clear and consistent policy on net-inward migration and population control is integral to accurately estimating the supply of homes required, and in ensuring that numbers of net-inward migration do not outstrip the delivery of new homes.
Pictured: The Government has pledged to build new homes on sites it owns, including St. Saviour's Hospital.
“The planned assumption of 800 net-inward migration each year is considerably less than what has been permitted in previous years and therefore the successful delivery of the right number of homes will be contingent on the projected assumptions being accurate and strictly enforced.”
To which the Government replied: “Agreed. The BIP has, by necessity, had to adopt a planning assumption of an increase of 800 persons annually, comprising 100 persons due to natural growth and 700 due to migration.
“Regrettably, since the assumption was adopted no data on actual migration is available to validate the reduced number. Once the outcome of the census is received, government will be in a position to improve the methods with which to plan for adequate delivery of homes.”
The ministers add: “The need for population issues to be widely discussed with better data and understanding of the problem and the possible solutions is a key theme developed in the first common population policy.
“The 2021 Census will provide valuable information on how property use has changed over the last ten years and the current level of under occupation in the Island.
“With better data, more accurate predictions can be made regarding the number and type of homes that will be needed in future, optimising the use of available housing sites.”
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