Planners say eight houses can be built in St Martin’s field
PLANNING permission to build eight houses on a St Martin’s field has been granted, despite dozens of objections.
The planning permission notes that there is no protection for agricultural areas in Guernsey’s main centre boundaries.
Originally the application was to create nine homes on the 0.78 acre field on the southern side of Les Oberlands. But a year on and after a deferral, permission was granted for a smaller scheme.
The project provoked strong feelings, with a 32-signature petition submitted to the planners listing concerns about the loss of green space, increased flood risk and increased noise. There were 35 letters sent to planners, raising similar concerns as well as road safety and a lack of parking.
The revised plans sparked 12 further letters.
La Societe Guernesiaise objected to the development of the green fields, saying that in this case it was an important unbroken wildlife corridor between St Andrew’s/St Martin’s to the south and west, and St Peter’s Valley and beyond to the east.
Traffic & Highway Services said the access design was safe and it welcomed plans to incorporate a pedestrian footpath on the roadside, which would be a safe refuge from passing vehicles. While the site is in St Martin’s, it is just inside the boundary of the St Peter Port main centre outer boundary – an area where new homes can be created.
In the planning report, the planners stated that there was no policy relating to agricultural land within the Main Centres.
‘Outside of the centres, the most valuable agricultural land is protected within designated agriculture priority areas, however, outside of those areas change of use away from agriculture is supported, provided all other relevant policies are met,’ the planners state.
‘In this case, while it has been noted in representation that the site has been used for agricultural purposes, it is not within or adjacent to an area designated for agriculture.’
The planners noted that the site was located on the fringe of St Peter Port, with high density development to the east and to the west of Les Frieteaux, and lower density development to the east of the site and across the road to the north.
‘The development would result in the introduction of built form on to open land, and inevitably therefore the loss of that open land, together with the removal of the established bank and planting along the roadside boundary,’ the planners stated. ‘The site is not however designated as Important Open Land, and such designations cannot be applied on an ad-hoc basis.’
Overall the planners found that the proposed mix and type of housing proposed was what Guernsey needed and the proposals were consistent with planning policies.
