It had a property on Fort Road in St Peter Port but that closed in 2015 with media reports from the time saying the charity had cited a lack of demand for its services following the success of the Guernsey Housing Association in improving the island’s supply of housing.
The charity also said then that it would continue to operate, with a shifted focus to helping homeless people.
This week a planning application has been submitted, by the Maison St Pierre Trust wanting to change the first and second floor offices in a building on Victoria Road into six flats.
The application included details on the charity’s focus on homeless young people.
Pictured: A section of the application cover letter submitted by Evans Architecture on behalf of The Maison Saint Pierre Trust.
The office is at 5 – 7 Victoria Road, St Peter Port.
Maison Saint Pierre owns the building with the ground floor leased to another charity, Action for Children, leaving the upper floors vacant. Those will be converted into six one-bedroom units, which the planning application letter states will provide accommodation for young homeless people in Guernsey.
Action for Children also focuses on supporting young people, with services aimed at those who have left or are leaving care and who are said to be “in desperate need of one bedroom accommodation”.
Evans Architecture, which has submitted the planning application on behalf of the charity, has said the change of use would meet the requirements of planning laws as the new residential flats would be “close to services, employment, leisure opportunities, public transport links and walking and cycling networks.
“Furthermore, the proposals demonstrate the most effective and efficient use of land due to the nature of the proposals within an existing building”.
The application also makes clear that the plans meet the requirements of Action for Children as one-bedroom flats are much more beneficial to the charity, but are also in line with States policies which have previously recognised that one-bedroom units are in high demand for social rental properties.
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