A radical revision of what housing can be built where is being pursued by the Development & Planning Authority.
It has today released major changes to its vision first published last June, with proposals to allocate eight new sites for Affordable Housing, which include three at Vazon, and dropping others.
The revisions it is suggesting to the master planning document that guides development also includes ditching long held plans to build housing on the former Belgrave Vinery site in favour of developing it at the Salt Pans instead.
Green fields that were outlined for Affordable Housing in its June 2024 revisions are no longer on its radar as it looks to brownfield and vinery sites for development instead, while housing will also now be included in how the Castel Hospital and surrounding sites are reimagined.
The new proposals, if accepted, will also make it easier to build key worker housing at the Princess Elizabeth Hospital, although it has been insisted that this will not include the green field near the entrance so hotly debated this term.
The DPA’s new strategy comes after a heated response to its initial Island Development Plan proposals and changes to Policy & Resource’s thinking on the future of some major States sites.
How many houses are needed?
It wants to make enough land available to build 1,062 private market houses and 976 Affordable Housing units in the next six years – a 20% uplift on the number the States has agreed is needed.
The DPA believes there is already enough land earmarked for private development but it needs to find space for another 238 in the Affordable Housing bracket because of its calculation.
Authority President Victoria Oliver defended the size of the buffer.
“We’ve really looked at the sites that everybody has said will come forward, some of them, particularly in St Sampsons, where you’ve got the Data Park, Kenilworth Vinery and Franc Fief are big sites that might not all come forward, and then you always get a landowner saying, ‘I’m definitely going to build on that,’ and sometimes they don’t,” she said.
“So that’s why we’ve put in the buffer, to make sure that we can actually try and reach these targets.”
Land-use swap
A development framework was approved in August 2021 for 313 new homes on the States-owned Belgrave Vinery site.
But now the States is saying it would cost £5m. to move the sewage emptying point from the site to make it is suitable for houses, which was a key driver behind DPA proposing instead it becomes zoned for industrial land – something that has always been ruled out until now.
That is balanced out by redesignating all undeveloped land within the existing Saltpans Key Industrial Area as a Mixed-Use Development Area to help meet the required land supply for housing.
Keyworker housing greenlit for the PEH
The DPA has decided to include an allowance in the housing land supply for development of key worker housing within and adjacent to the Princess Elizabeth Hospital.
Health & Social Care has been very vocal this term about the desire to have housing for its staff at the hospital, although its bid to use agricultural land near the entrance hit the buffers because of planning rules.
There are no definitive plans for where the housing will go.
But Deputy Oliver was categorical it would not be on the field previously debated.
“There are plenty of other sites around the hospital. You’ve got the temporary car park. You’ve got the Duchess of Kent. There’s a lot of other sites that are around that area.”
A bigger spread of housing
In June, the DPA proposed six new sites for Affordable Housing. They have now all been replaced with eight.
Three will be at Vazon, the others in St Peter Port, the Forest, St Peters, and at L’Islet.
Planning restrictions for Vazon will also be loosened as it becomes a designated Local Centre.
Some of the sites became an option when DPA went back to owners who had previously said they would only consider private housing developments.
The eight new sites are:
Le Penage – Les Caches, St Martin
Les Caches Farm – Rue Des Caches, St Pierre Du Bois
Two Acres – La Planque Lane, Forest
Route Carré – Route Carré, St Sampson
Regency Vinery – Steam Mill Lane, St Martin
Whispers – Rue Des Goddards, Castel
La Trousserie – Route De La Mare, Castel
Niche Vinery – Route De La Mare, Castel
Housing in and around the Castel Hospital
One of the previous proposals that had caused controversy was an attempt to redesignate a large agricultural field Le Tassin at L’Aumone for housing, particularly because of the proximity of other States-owned sites that residents felt would be more suitable.
The DPA’s rethink is now proposing a Redevelopment Area for a care village on Perruque House and King Edward VII Hospital and a mixed-use area at Castel Hospital, all providing a proportion of Affordable Housing.
Deputy Oliver highlighted a change in Policy & Resources as their IDP work continued as a reason why this was not put forward a year ago.
“I pretty much went cap in hand, saying, ‘you need to give us some affordable housing sites’.
“Originally, they said no and we did have a very truthful conversation, and we said, ‘we need some’. So in the end, these are the ones that’ve come forward.”
Have your say
People can read a summary document of the DPA’s proposed revised changes at gov.gg/IDPReview where they can share their views on the changes before 31st March 2025.
Alternatively, there is a paper form which is available from the webpage or from Edward T. Wheadon House, Le Truchot.
It is important to note that comments are only being invited on anything which has changed from the draft amendments published in June 2024.
Other draft amendments from June 2024 which have not been revised are still proposed but not subject to consultation at this time.
Any comments submitted last year will still stand and will be considered by the Planning Inspector as part of the planning inquiry process.
You can submit new comments, or update previous comments on relevant areas.
If you need any help having your say on these proposals, contact the Planning Inquiry team by calling 01481 223441 or emailing Planning.Inquiries@gov.gg.
After the consultation period has closed, the DPA will provide responses to the comments before the election.
It will then be for the newly-constituted DPA to invite further comments on the DPA’s responses.