Parishioners are ‘sick and tired’ of over development
A ST Sampson’s douzenier said he was still to find anyone excited about plans to build more than 90 homes on a former vinery site near the parish douzaine room after the parish held a drop-in on Saturday to hear residents’ views.
Douzenier Adrian Dilcock said that his overall impression of parishioner feedback was that everyone was ‘sick and tired’ of proposed housing developments in an increasingly over-saturated area.
‘In the plans it states that it will “maintain and enhance the vitality of these areas”, but I just can’t see how that could happen,’ he said.
‘It’s all very well saying everything should be in the north of the island, but when the road infrastructure and everything else is beyond its sensible limits, you just can’t keep doing it.’
Plans for the Guernsey Housing Association development at Fontaine Vinery were revealed last month.
A mix of social rental and partial ownership, targeted at first-time buyers, and homes for key workers needed to support the island’s health service are intended. If permission is granted this year, construction could start next spring and the first of 91 homes could be complete by summer 2024.
46 houses and 45 flats have been proposed for the site, but parishioners are uncertain whether the infrastructure in the north of the island could support this, especially without affecting those who already live in the area.
‘It doesn’t just affect my generation, it’s equally as concerning for the younger generations,’ said Mr Dilcock.
‘These people here today are ordinary hard-working people who aspire to buy their own houses and want to have a decent standard of life, but their quality of life is going to be ruined.’
Junior constable Leonie Le Tissier said that the drop-in had highlighted new problems with the proposal.
‘The drop-in has shown that it’s not just traffic that people are concerned about,’ she said.
‘We’ve had people concerned about overlooking on their properties because of the height of some of the three-storey buildings which will block their sunlight and views.’
The douzaine hosted the event to gather the views of the parish to write to the planning department accordingly with all concerns of the project.
Resident Dex Mahy, who is against the project, said that there were already areas nearby which smell because of sewage.
‘Flooding and sewage will be a huge issue for the site,’ he said.
‘I have no idea how they will manage to build on the marsh without these problems, it’s just one site after another.’
Another resident who lives nearby the proposed site said his garden often gets really wet from the nearby marshland, and was unsure how building on top of such land would be possible without attracting long-term problems.
‘It’s crazy to think they would build on the marshland, and not only that, it would take away the green views from so many residents.’
He was unsure how the infrastructure would be able to accommodate both vehicle access and green space in the area.
A police officer was also in attendance at the drop-in, noting the concerns of residents in the surrounding area and highlighting any problems that the police may have to deal with if the development were to go ahead.
