‘Derelict glasshouse sites ripe for housing’

Steve Falla wants the States to relax rules on developing former vineries and warns that plans for hundreds more homes over the next few years will fail under current planning restrictions.

‘I’m not saying that all derelict glass on the island could be turned over to housing, but I’m fairly certain that some of it could without a significantly detrimental effect on the landscape,’ said Deputy Falla.

‘I’d like to think that Policy & Resources has the levers to pull together the relevant stakeholders to cut red tape and act decisively on housing, even if this means changing or relaxing, even temporarily, some of the laws that seem responsible for the inertia.’

But Development & Planning Authority president Victoria Oliver urged caution over Deputy Falla’s proposal and said the issue was not as simple as he was making it sound.

‘It’s not as easy as demolishing glasshouses to make way for new projects, as often they are contaminated. Then you have to factor in the time it would take to build the new houses, which would be a minimum of 12-18 months,’ said Deputy Oliver.

She claimed islanders would quickly be appalled by the results if the States removed planning restrictions which prevent most derelict glasshouse sites from being turned into housing.

‘I think if you suddenly built houses on all or most of the 75.5 hectares of sites, then people would be horrified,’ said Deputy Oliver.

‘We don’t have an infinite amount of land available, and there are already 568 dwellings on the island which have planning permission.

‘I would love to be all for Deputy Falla’s idea, but there are no easy solutions unfortunately.’

Deputy Falla said the island’s housing needs now demanded a new approach and the States should stop finding reasons not to allow development of former vineries.

‘At the March States meeting, we agreed in principle to building 313 new units of accommodation every year for the next five years, but who is going to build them and where are they going to go?’ he said.

‘There are multiple challenges surrounding this but, rather than citing all the reasons why we can’t build on some former glasshouse sites, let’s put what is necessary in place, through the collaboration of relevant committees, to ensure that we can.’

Guernsey Clematis Nurseries general manager Paul Ingrouille said it would take only a slight change in planning laws to make better use of derelict glasshouse sites.

‘I don’t think it would be too different to what has happened in the last 25 years anyway, where glasshouses have been encompassed by new housing projects,’ said Mr Ingrouille.

‘I certainly know of owners in the past who have tried to raise value from their land but because it has to remain agricultural it would not be financially possible for them to do anything and they have become frustrated as a result.’