GHA set to unveil new £4m housing estate

Friday 31 July 2020

20 new social housing properties will be unveiled today as part of the Guernsey Housing Association’s latest development in Saltpans Road.

12 of the homes in the newly-named Ponte Colliche in Saltpans Road, St Sampsons, are rented accommodation, and eight are available for partial ownership.

All of the rental homes are 1-bedroom, as there are currently 188 applicants on the waiting list for this kind of accommodation.

The remaining eight properties are a mixture of 2, 3 and 4-bedroom homes.

The homes were built by JW Rihoy at a cost of £3.99 million. This cost was met by a £1.6 million grant from Employment and Social Security, with the remainder covered by a bank loan.

Ponte Colliche is named for an old footpath crossing that existed when the Clos du Valle was separate from the mainland of Guernsey in 1806. Keys have been handed over to the GHA from the contractor, and tenants are lined up to move in.

Many have been waiting a while, as construction was delayed due to the corona virus.

“We are really pleased to provide 20 more new homes for people waiting for rented and partial ownership accommodation,” said Steve Williams, GHA Chief Executive. “We have a joint waiting list with States Housing and there is a real need, particularly for 1 bed accommodation for rent,”

“We currently have another 34 homes being built for rent and partial ownership purchase across three sites and we are actively working with States Housing on several land opportunities to try to ensure a steady flow of new affordable housing for the future.”