E&I accepts pressure of extra housing in north
The president of Environment & Infrastructure is reassuring the residents of Vale and St Sampson’s that she wants to place more focus on dealing with the impact of additional housing developments in the north.
Deputy Lindsay de Sausmarez accepted that not enough consideration had been given in the past to the cumulative impact of increasing housing density and population in that part of the island.
Her comments followed a meeting with Vale senior constable Richard Leale in which she updated him on a mobility plan for the northern parishes, drafted by consultants WSP.
It was commissioned by E&I and the Guernsey Housing Association as part of planning for the development of the Fontaine Vinery site in St Sampson’s.
Neither planning legislation nor policy require the Development & Planning Authority to take into account the cumulative effect of developments when considering applications.
But Deputy de Sausmarez told the Vale parish website that the States’ approach to the problem was changing.
She accepted that transport infrastructure was already under pressure in the north and that changes were needed to mitigate the impact of new developments.
She said that part of this work was putting in place a mobility plan to improve transport choices.
‘This isn’t unique to the Vale and St Sampson’s, as it affects much of the island, but I accept it’s regarded as a particular issue for the north,’ said Deputy de Sausmarez.
‘I know I’ve been labelled by some as anti-car, but the fact is I’m a full-time working mum of four young children, so I totally get the fact that some car journeys are essential.’
She said Guernsey’s problem was the number of vehicles and the space they take up when space is already in short supply.
The island’s 86,000 registered vehicles are said to take up about 12sq. metres of space, or 250 acres, when they are parked.
‘The point we’ve been making to the building industry is that the space footprint for two cars, plus manoeuvring room, is very nearly the same as you need to build a small apartment,’ said Deputy de Sausmarez.
She said E&I was firmly pro-choice on transport.
‘The more choice people have, the less dependent they’re likely to be on car use alone, and the better it is for the island.
‘More options will reduce the pressure on our very limited space and ultimately make both transport and housing more affordable.
‘This means we can keep – or potentially even re-introduce – vital green areas in our urban environments.’
Mr Leale said he would be interested to see whether the mobility plan came up with practical solutions to the impact of the new developments in the north.
