Work on a new housing development in La Charotterie will start next week – with temporary traffic lights among the most notable measures being put in place to facilitate the work.
Other traffic calming and pedestrian management measures are also being used to control the site while building work takes place.
You’ll notice some of these in phases over the next two years as the new development takes shape.
When the work is complete – scheduled to happen in 2028 – it will offer 70 new units of housing, managed by the Guernsey Housing Association (GHA).
Before then, traffic lights, controlled crossings, suspended parking bays, and amended bus journey times, will all become a regular part of life for people living near or using La Charotterie.
The plans
Work will start this summer to build 61 one-bedroom and nine two-bedroom homes on the site now known as Court Falaise.
For many decades it has been known as the ‘CI Tyres yard’ – but that business closed in 2013, and the land was sold to a private developer.
While sheds and workshops were demolished, nothing was ever built on the land over the following decade, even though it was earmarked for housing.
In 2022 the Guernsey Housing Association bought the land for £1.7 million, with financial support from a States of Guernsey capital grant.
It’s taken four years, and plans have been tweaked multiple times to maximise the number of units built, but now the work is finally starting.
Cliff stabilisation work has been carried out already, paving the way for contractors Breton and Group Legendre to start work.
The new homes will be classed as ‘affordable’ with some being allocated to key workers and others to people on the social housing waiting list.
The work
Work is due to start next Monday, 24 August.
As La Charotterie is a busy road – with homes and offices on both sides of it – temporary measures will be used to manage both traffic and pedestrians.
It’s also a main through-road for traffic going into and leaving town, including traffic heading to the southern parishes or the airport.
The States’ Traffic and Highways department has agreed for temporary traffic lights to be installed on La Charotterie from Monday 24 August 2026. They will probably be in place until the end of March 2028.
This has been agreed “to allow work at the site to be carried out safely”, a States’ spokesperson said.
The first week of the temporary traffic lights being in place will coincide with other road works in surrounding areas including on Les Vardes and George Road, and Park Street and Mount Durand.
Other measures
While building work is happening on the Court Falaise site, the pavement directly outside will be closed to pedestrians for safety reasons.
Two parking bays directly in front of the building site will also be suspended.
Ramps and a controlled crossing – using the temporary traffic lights – will be in place to allow pedestrians and those using wheelchairs or pushchairs to cross the road safely.
Both the States and GHA have acknowledged that temporary traffic lights will slow down through traffic using La Charotterie, and a new bus timetable being introduced on 7 September has been amended to reflect that too.
Additional time has been built into the new timetables for buses travelling through La Charotterie “to mitigate any delays as a result of the temporary traffic lights,” said a spokesperson.
Where that extra time is not required, buses will wait at the Hospital before resuming their services at the scheduled timings.
La Charotterie will also be closed for several days from Wednesday 21st October to allow a crane to be installed at the site.
The GHA and the States of Guernsey both say they have worked together to try and minimise disruption as much as possible while the building work is underway.
Laura Oxburgh, Head of On-Island Travel and Transport Implementation for the States, said: “We recognise that the temporary traffic lights at Charotterie, on a key route into and out of Town, will inevitably have an impact on islanders, particularly during peak travel times.
“We would therefore encourage motorists to plan ahead and allow a little extra time for their journeys while these essential works take place to enable the delivery of much-needed Affordable Housing.”
Lisa de Kooker, GHA’s Chief Operating Officer, said: “We know that a lengthy period of temporary traffic management will cause some inconvenience, and we are very grateful for the public’s patience whilst this work is carried out.
Court Falaise would “provide much-needed affordable homes for the island” and the measures would help “progress” the development.
GHA would “continue to work closely with the States to ensure traffic arrangements are maintained and disruption is kept to a minimum where possible”, she added.
