Leale’s Yard has been a talking point for decades. In fact the saga of sales, development plans, and setbacks started in the previous millennium, way back when the year started with a 19’ instead of a 20’.
For those in the know, and up-to-date on island life, Leale’s Yard is bordering on a form of folklore with how many times potential development plans have been shared, and rumours of progress and delays have been shared in equal prominence in hushed whispers, as people wait for plots and properties that were once promised.
It may seem like we’ve finally reached the end of the line, with the States of Guernsey’s £4.5 million purchase of the St Sampson’s site.
But for those with memories stretching back to 1998 and the start of the saga, there is possibly an acceptance that we’re not quite at the conclusion just yet.
The lengthy Leale’s Yard sale laid out
The site coined its name from ‘Mr J. Leale’s Establishment’, which was founded on the Bridge in 1835.
It eventually transitioned to a “heavy industrial site”, before being left to slump towards detritus.
There were still businesses operating at the site in 1998 when the Channel Islands Coop picked up the parcel of land, for a price believed to be under £4m.
At the time it probably seemed like the story could end there. But alas, here we are – almost three decades on.
The intervening years have included decades of twists and turns.
The 12-acre site was left derelict for more than a decade after the Coop bought it, with numerous plans being submitted and approved over time, until in 2019 the Cooop sought a States subsidy to get moving with the building work. That attempt was unsuccessful.
On that occasion the Coop had approached the States of Guernsey for a “multi-million pound subsidy” to help get the development started, but this never came to fruition.
Then in April 2022, the latest plans were submitted, with a brand new planning application for its latest proposed scheme. This time it included more than 300 homes, a new Coop food store, other options for retail, a multi-storey car park, and civic areas and green spaces.
This development was estimated to require £50 million of private sector investment during construction, and around £150 million on facilities management services after completion.
The Outline Planning Permission was granted in November 2022, but with strong planning conditions attached.
A year later, in October 2023, Deputies debated and eventually agreed in principle to a proposed £35 million investment in housing, and flood defences at the Bridge, which included Leale’s Yard. This investment aimed to help deliver new housing.
However, a year and a half after that, in February 2025 Deputy Lyndon Trott revealed that the project faced further delays, potentially for another two years, due to the effective withdrawal from the market of the proposed manufacturer for volumetric modular units.
This necessitated alternative construction methods, two months later the States withdrew the funding.
The Policy & Resources Committee at the time announced that the States would not be investing any money into the redevelopment of Leale’s Yard, as terms for the investment could not be agreed.
Earlier this month, the newly-elected president of the States Housing Committee, Deputy Steve Williams, expressed keenness to progress the Leale’s Yard site.
He said he planned to meet with the Coop and developer Omnibus Investments to explore salvaging the project.
Omnibus had been in discussions with the States over plans for brownfield sites that sit behind the Bridge, when the funding was pulled. At the time it said the situation was “deeply disappointing”.
If there was anyone among Guernsey’s 38 elected officials that would have taken a specific interest in Leale’s Yard it would be Deputy Williams.
The former Chief Executive of the Guernsey Housing Association has been very outspoken in the past over the potential properties that a development there could bring to the Bridge.
Following the announcement the States were buying most of the site, Deputy Williams, now President of the Committee for Housing, said it’s good news.
“We all know that there are other sites also earmarked for housing and much work has already taken place to see how these can be ‘unlocked’. However, Leale’s Yard is a particularly important site given its size and location.
“Therefore, I’m delighted that the States has been able to act so quickly to secure this site and very much look forward to seeing the plans develop as quickly as possible to provide much needed homes for islanders.”
It seems the early term talks have proven to be tangibly beneficial, as lo and behold, an agreement has been reached.
The States have purchased a majority of the site, £4.5 Million later, and Leale’s Yard may finally be in store for its mythical moment, should the court date next month go as smoothly as many hope.
Meanwhile, Deputy Adrian Gabriel, the President of Environment & Infrastructure, is also pleased the States are buying Leale’s Yard.
“I very much welcome P&R’s announcement that the States is purchasing Leale’s Yard. Everyone knows that the supply of new homes is important, but I think equally many people realise that we also need to have the correct infrastructure in place around any new housing sites, otherwise we’re setting ourselves up to fail. I’m really pleased to see P&R say that their first priority is to improve the transport network in the area.
“As the President of E&I, and also a nearby resident of Leale’s Yard, I and many others know how busy the roads in the area already are, so I firmly welcome any proposed improvements we can make to the transport networks in the area which I’m sure will provide benefits beyond Leale’s Yard.”