Select a region
The Development & Planning Authority's action plan, which aims to improve communication with the community and help inform a wide-ranging review of the IDP, is set to be completed before the end of this States term.
In the six months since the D&PA’s plan was finalised, the quasi-judicial States body has confirmed many of those actions have been completed, while the rest are on track for completion by the end of June 2020 as intended.
A dashboard has been published which serves as a snapshot of the most frequently asked questions and statistics, such as the number of planning permissions and completions in a given area and the number of affordable homes that have received planning permission. The Dashboard can be found online at gov.gg/dpfacts.
"The Action Plan included 14 actions in total, the most important of which was the expansion of subjects to be covered under the 5 year review of some policies of the Island Development Plan (IDP)," said a States spokesperson.
Pictured: The creation of development frameworks - such as the controversial one for Pointues Rocques - have not gone down well with many in the community.
"As set out in the IDP, this review was to cover housing and employment land supply but was extended to consider how brownfield sites might be prioritised before greenfield, re-examining the extent of Important Open Land in the Main Centres, Agriculture Priority Areas, assessing the effect of land-banking, Affordable Housing and the effectiveness of Policy GP11 and also change of use of visitor accommodation. Another action was for the threshold and use of Development Frameworks to be reconsidered."
The research and evidence-gathering for the IDP five-year review has started and initial consultation begun. It is anticipated draft amendments to the IDP should be ready for statutory consultation in Quarter 4 of 2020 and the final draft amendments are due to return to the Assembly by November 2021.
"Another important action was commissioning the drafting of the Development Frameworks for the four Regeneration Areas starting with Leale’s Yard. The D&PA is pleased to announce that preparation of this Framework has commenced and includes opportunities for the public to have a say in early 2020.
"The D&PA has also written to several Committees regarding how the IDP policies may facilitate their on-going work such as the development of a Tourism Strategy and a Long Term Infrastructure Investment Plan, implementing the findings of the Red Tape Audit and placing the 15mph speed limit of Ruettes Tranquilles on a statutory footing.
Pictured: Former D&PA President John Gollop spoke the difficulties of being on a quasi-judicial body both before and after his resignation from the role.
"The D&PA continues with productive discussions with the Committees on this. The D&PA is also meeting with officers from other service areas such as Traffic and Highways to discuss local infrastructure requirements and how we can put the information we have to better use."
Looking forward to the 2020 election, there have been discussions with the States' Assembly & Constitution Committee about some new training for Deputies which will help prepare them for the demands and complexities of sitting on a quasi-judicial body.
D&PA President Dawn Tindall said the update was a positive one and that she expected a seamless transition of these plans beyond next year's election.
“In June 2019 when the D&PA’s Action Plan was published, we set out actions to be done by the end of this political term. I am pleased to confirm that we are on track for their completion. As a result of the excellent work of the planning officers, this D&PA will also aim to ensure a smooth transition to the next so that there is no delay to the work needed for the 5 year review.”
Pictured top: Deputy Dawn Tindall.
Comments
Comments on this story express the views of the commentator only, not Bailiwick Publishing. We are unable to guarantee the accuracy of any of those comments.