More farm land lost to domestic gardens

The report looked at all aspects of planning during 2021, including agriculture and horticulture.

Large parts of Guernsey are classed as agricultural priority areas.

But within those areas last year, 29,823sq. m of land – about 29.8 hectares – was given permission for change of use. Of this, 19,363sq. m was allowed to become domestic garden.

There were more than 30 change of use applications made to convert agricultural land into domestic areas in 2021, but about a third were rejected.

The 2021 figures show a sharp increase in area on 2020, when 16,530sq. m of APA land was granted change of use, of which 12,800 was to domestic gardens.

The report noted that planning policies had to balance the protection of land for agriculture for the industry’s current and future needs, while also recognising the role it plays in countryside management, and ensuring land was available to meet other legitimate development requirements.

‘Applications for the change of use of land in APA’s (but not necessarily actively farmed land) to domestic garden and the need for a revised figure of land required by the commercial agricultural industry to support the industry’s long-term need is to be kept under review,’ the report stated.

Overall there are about 1,373 hectares of agricultural land in available in Guernsey. That is about 8,378 vergees. When the IDP was first adopted, the then Commerce & Employment Department estimated 8,000 vergees was needed for the dairy industry, and 1,500 vergees for arable and other livestock.

But the monitoring report said those original estimates needed examination, with further land needed for crop rotation. Work is taking place to get a more accurate commercial agricultural land requirement, as well as a review of the dairy industry.

This work will then inform any update of the IDP.