‘We need housing, but it’s too many for confined area’

The Guernsey Housing Association plans to build 131 new homes on the site, as well as a park, with the development being known as Parc Le Lacheur.

Plans have been submitted to the planners and, for many, Saturday was the first time they had a chance to examine them.

The site is hemmed in on three sides by Braye Road, Lowlands Road and Saltpans Road, and residents from all three turned out.

Many people were concerned about overlooking. The site has a mix of heights, with buildings up to three storeys high.

Garry Brimage, 68, has lived in the area for nearly 50 years.

‘We knew there were a lot of houses, but not that they were so high,’ he said.

‘And the traffic is bad anyway.’

Andrew and Claire Charnley live on Lowlands Road with three-month-old daughter Lilly-May. They were concerned a new electricity substation close to their home would create noise. But they were more concerned about the three-storey building proposed for close to their property boundary.

‘We will be overlooked,’ Mr Charnley said.

They were also concerned about the loss of wildlife.

‘We are losing our nature,’ he said.

‘We used to sit there looking out on barn owls feeding and herons and we have lost that. The park will be on the other side of the development from us.’

Jim and Kath Close have lived in Lowlands Road for more than 40 years and share their neighbours’ concerns about overlooking.

‘The buildings are too high,’ he said.

He would prefer to see bungalows built, like many other homes in the area, but said he could understand the GHA wanting to create lots of homes on the site. He was also keen for there to be a bigger buffer zone between the existing homes and the new ones.

Some residents were concerned about the large scale of the development.

‘I do believe we need housing, but it’s too many for such a confined space,’ said Jayne Welbourne, who lives in Saltpans Road. ‘There are too many houses being developed down this end of the island.’

Traffic was an ongoing concern from many people at the drop-in, with worries that it would result in more cars on the already busy northern roads.

Despite the concerns, most people spoken to by the Guernsey Press were in favour of the site being used for housing. But they wanted to see changes to the plans and many said they would make representations to the planners.

• The plans can be viewed at https://www.gov.gg/liveplanningapplications