The Guernsey Business Park site purchased by the Guernsey Housing Association could take up to 190 homes, but residents have raised concerns about the already-prevalent infrastructure problems in the area.
Lucy Harding lives with relatives in a property which backs on to the site. She was concerned about the noise and disruptions the development could bring.
‘I’m sure other residents, as well as us, enjoy the peace in our gardens during the long summer evenings, and overcrowding may take away this luxury,’ she said.
‘And overcrowding the area will only contribute to a further build up of traffic which is often already gridlocked around 8am to 9am.’
As a young islander trying to establish herself in the property market with her partner, Miss Harding said that she felt the money could be better spent elsewhere.
‘These new houses, even if at a below-market average housing price, would still be too expensive for half of the working class,’ she said.
‘This island is not catering to the younger working class who often struggle with getting onto the property ladder, or even renting due to the lack of available properties.’
She added that she believed the government were quick to pursue building on greenfield sites, rather than assessing existing properties that could be utilised for the same purpose.
Resident Macarthur Hamel said that the development did not appear to be ideal and while he could understand the need for housing, he did not believe the surrounding infrastructure would be able cope with the additional pressures brought on by nearly 200 new homes.
‘We have to have houses, but I think we’ve got enough in this particular district, because I just don’t know what they’re going to do about the infrastructure,’ he said.
‘I just hope that they look at the drainage and whether or not they need another environmental study to make it work.
‘If they’re going to put houses there then there’s not much we can do about it.
'I just hope it works, but I’m afraid that if they carry on, our end of the island will sink.’
Robin Bailey, who lives on a clos near the proposed site, said that he had no concerns about the development and did not think it would impact or make traffic worse on Route Militaire.
‘I don’t mind it all, there’s traffic lights there, so it shouldn’t be a problem on a road of this size,’ he said.
Mr Bailey said that his only concern was the cost of the proposed homes. He agreed with many, including deputies, that the island needed more affordable housing to keep people living locally.
Concerns from parish officials in St Sampson’s and the Vale about the state of infrastructure in the north of the island will be addressed in the proposals for the Data Park site, the Employment & Social Security Committee has said.
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