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Deputy Steve Falla has come out arguing that the Development and Planning Authority’s recent review into the Island Development Plan is flawed, and says there are better sites available for affordable housing.
The DPA recently concluded that there is already sufficient land zoned for housing to meet private market needs for the next five years – with around 2,000 units possible across these sites.
It came as the Authority published recommendations to change the central planning document – the Island Development Plan – after scaled back review into planning policies.
The proposed changes have now been picked apart by political colleagues and the public, with Deputy Falla now stepping up to offer his thoughts.
He said he’s disappointed that the new sites proposed for additional affordable housing could see green fields built on when there are disused glasshouse sites that would be far more suitable for development, in a release published today.
“I am dumbfounded that we are looking at bringing several green fields, for example at Ville Amphrey and Le Vrangue, into the local and main centres when there are potentially many redundant glasshouse sites in Guernsey that could be built on.
“I have repeatedly called for disused and derelict vinery sites to be re-evaluated as potential housing sites in the context of the housing crisis and this is still not happening.”
He argues that the DPA’s hands are tied because the Strategic Land Use Plan (SLUP) already lays out how land is used in Guernsey.
“As I understand it, the SLUP trumps everything. Effectively, we are hamstrung by the SLUP which is not scheduled for review for another seven years.
“We have 460.7 vergees (2019 figure) of redundant glass across the island on sites that will never again be used for growing but most are ruled out of consideration by the SLUP.
“The States has spent this political term wringing its hands over the housing crisis when what we probably should have been doing was looking at whether the SLUP could or should be reviewed as an exceptional approach to address exceptional circumstances.
“Without doing that you can bring in any other changes you like – Deputy Sasha Kazantseva-Miller’s proposed new Housing Department or Deputy Nick Moakes proposed Housing Sector Forum – but they’ll still be unable to overturn the rules that the States has put in place through the SLUP.”
Deputy Falla intends to make representations to the planning inspector.
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