‘Guernsey Business Park’ bought by GHA for £4.75m
ANOTHER 190 homes could be built in the north of the island on the ‘Guernsey Business Park’ site off Route Militaire, which has been bought by the Guernsey Housing Association for £4.75m. with the backing of the States.
The site is currently zoned as one of the island’s four key industrial areas, rather than housing, so a change of use will be required, declaring the land as a site of ‘strategic importance’.
As a result, Employment & Social Security president Peter Roffey has called the purchase ‘a calculated risk to take’ but the States felt it had to act on an offer from the site’s owner, the local property fund Red Fund.
The site has been zoned for industry for more than a decade but after ambitious early plans, which included the installation of traffic lights, which have never been used, did not proceed, it has been vacant.
The States announced the purchase as deputies have debated the ‘housing crisis’ all day.
Deputy Roffey said his committee was confident that the threshold for change of use can be met ‘on the basis that the proposed development would make a significant contribution towards meeting the island’s urgent, and increasing, affordable housing requirements, and is of strategic importance’.
If that fails, a site-specific amendment to the Island Development Plan could be sought, or the rezoning of the site under the general review of the plan later in this States term.
If all planning routes fail, which ESS believes is unlikely, ‘then the States will own a unique site that it can use in an alternative way’.
ESS said the cost of the site represented minimal risk in terms of value for money, and was grateful for support from the Policy & Resources Committee.
Housing Association chief executive Steve Williams admitted that fewer than 190 homes could be built, and some of the site might stay zoned for industry.
‘This was a unique opportunity to purchase a large site that would, pending change of use approval, present a chance for us to make significant inroads into providing housing for the growing number of people in need of affordable housing,’ he said.
It could become a mixed development, including key worker, social rental and partial ownership properties. The 16-acre site, now the GHA’s largest, backs on to the Kenilworth Vinery site, which the States bought last year and where it intends to build 135 homes.
The GHA is also planning to build new 91 new homes on the former Fontaine Vinery.
But because of the zoning, Mr Williams said he could not put a timeframe on development.
‘We’ll be pushing on with it as quick as we can with the planning committee,’ he said.
‘We are doing all we can to maximise opportunities to develop more housing to meet the needs of the community.’
History of the site
The site was purchased on behalf of the Long Port group in May 2008, for £7.3m. The company was granted permission to develop a data park on the former greenhouse site in May 2011, after which it knocked down a property and created a traffic light junction in Route Militaire.
Guernsey Data Park Ltd was one of several Long Port companies which were placed in administration in December 2016.
The land was sold to real estate company Red Fund in August 2019 for £1.6m.
