Sandy Lane site earmarked for one-bedroom GHA homes
THE Guernsey Housing Association has spent £610,000 to buy a field which could be used for one-bedroom homes.
The land stands behind Quantock Cottage in Sandy Lane, St Sampson’s, and is surrounded by houses. A development framework for the site, including the cottage, was approved last year and suggested that the cottage be demolished, which would make way for between five and seven dwellings.
GHA chief executive Steve Williams said it had purchased just the land, rather than the cottage, but he was hopeful it would be possible to build more houses than the original framework suggested.
‘We are more interested in building smaller properties – maybe one-bedroom flats,’ he said.
‘So we are more likely to get a few more in there, but they would be smaller. In terms of the impact, like traffic, there would be very little difference.’
The framework had stated that access should be through the cottage site, onto Sandy Hook.
But Mr Williams said the GHA would look at another options.
To the north of the field is a small area of grassland which is home to a dolmen. The Bronze Age cists-in-circles is a protected monument and is accessed via an alleyway from the estate. Mr Williams said it was hoping to use this lane as the site access and then cut across the corner of the dolmen site. He was hopeful that this option would be safer than exiting straight onto Sandy Lane.
Any road would not affect the monument.
‘We have been talking with [States archaeologist Dr] Phil de Jersey and his colleagues, as well as Traffic & Highway Services, the planners and Education, Sport & Culture,’ he said.
‘We are progressing a planning application and it will hopefully be submitted by the summer.’
He said that the development framework, which was approved last year, had zoned the area for development, so it was hopeful a planning application would go smoothly.
The GHA reports strong demand for one-bedroom properties and Mr Williams said in this case it was looking at having some rented properties for older people, as well as some partial ownership.
If it goes smoothly, it is hoped the work would start at the beginning of next year and be finished in 2022.
