Deputy Roffey said nearby housing units, such as John Henry Court, are not attractive “to those coming to work in Guernsey on a medium – long term basis as they prefer not to ‘live above the shop’ for several years”.
“To add another 150 units of such accommodation points to a clear strategy of relying on short term recruits in future. This is very unwise.”
Meanwhile, Deputy Soulsby – the previous President of Health & Social Care – claimed that “it has become apparent that other perfectly adequate and acceptable sites have been rejected because they are more than a kilometre away from the [hospital].
“Having such high volumes of agency workers can only be acceptable on a short-term basis and, as such, spending millions on what can’t be allowed to be a permanent issue, is not the best use of taxpayers’ money, or limited resources.”
Pictured: The first requete of this political term has been filed to force debate on whether 150 units of accommodation should be built on this field, next to the PEH.
Deputy Soulsby repeated the view that staff do not want to live ‘above the shop’ on a long-term basis. She also highlighted that those living on-site would require transport since there are limited services in and around the Princess Elizabeth Hospital.
She said building on the field would not solve “an immediate problem,” as it would take years before development was approved and completed.
Deputy Roffey added that it is unsurprising that many staff want to transfer into modern accommodation given the “rather sub-standard housing” across the island.
He also said dependance on short-term staff ought to end: “We should not be ‘baking it in’ through tripling the amount of staff accommodation provided on the PEH campus.
“I would feel strongly that this was entirely the wrong direction even if the plan did not involve destroying a really charming green field in a picturesque valley.”
Pictured: Deputy Heidi Soulsby said more focus needs to be placed on providing family housing units for key workers.
Deputy Soulsby added that recent shifts towards providing more mixed and family housing, such as that at Beauville, is continuing and should be prioritised.
“There may come a time when there is no other option but to build on [the field], designated as an Agricultural Priority Area. I hope not, but if it is, it should not be done based on flawed methodology from start to finish,” she concluded.
Pictured (top): Deputies Heidi Soulsby and Peter Roffey.
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