Guernsey’s Development and Planning Authority has recommended nine sites for affordable housing under its Island Development Plan review. It backs only two of the six sites proposed by an independent inspector and adds Whispers Vinery, which the inspector opposed.
The nine proposed sites are Whispers Vinery (Castel), Les Caches Farm (St Pierre du Bois), Regency Vinery and School Lane Vinery (St Martin), former Fletcher’s Freesias/Route Carré (St Sampson), Selbourne Vinery (St Peter Port), Two Acres and Springhurst House (Forest), and land at Sandy Hook (St Sampson). The DPA also wants deputies to designate Vazon as a local centre, despite the inspector’s recommendation against it; development is generally viewed more favourably in and around such centres. The review found enough land for private-market housing through 2030.
In a policy letter likely to be debated before the end of the year, the DPA recommends retaining GP11, which requires developers to include affordable housing in developments. The States voted to reduce the contribution rate to 0%, effectively pausing the policy, but the DPA wants to keep it as a mechanism to secure affordable housing in future. It also proposes reviewing affordable-housing allocations and potentially removing sites that are not progressing.
