P&R president working on housing 'action plan'

The States agreed last month that the island needs an additional 1,500 homes by 2027. The public and private sectors are currently building only a fraction of the number required each year to meet that new objective.

‘My action plan, which I’ve got to formulate in final detail, [is] to try to do something more than we are doing in relation to building properties,’ Deputy Ferbrache told the Guernsey Press politics podcast.

‘We talk a lot and then we build six houses. The backlog – both social housing and private housing – gets worse and worse and everybody says it’s all so difficult. Things are difficult, but if you don’t try to solve a problem you can’t.’

• Podcast: Listen to a full interview with P&R president Deputy Peter Ferbrache on greenhouses and more

Deputy Steve Falla recently called for the States to relax rules on developing derelict greenhouse sites for housing.

He warned that plans for more than 800 new private homes and 700 new units of social housing over the next five years would fail under current planning restrictions.

Deputy Ferbrache said he agreed with Deputy Falla. They met this week to discuss how to take their ideas forward.

‘We should look at those sites. There should be a presumption you can develop them,’ said Deputy Ferbrache.

‘There may be some you can’t... but there must be some which could be actively developed and that’s what we should do.’

Deputy Falla said he had received a lot of public support for his idea and was encouraged by his meeting with Deputy Ferbrache.

‘He explained to me a little more about what he has in mind with a task force. I think it’s good that somebody is wanting to take another look at this,’ said Deputy Falla.

Deputy Ferbrache wants the States to consider suspending parts of the Island Development Plan standing in the way of allowing homes to be built on former vinery sites.

‘I’m in favour of doing that in certain instances and making really radical changes. It’s alright saying we’ve got to protect every piece of green land... some of it will never be fit for agricultural land and should be built on,’ said the P&R president.

But he downplayed his chances of getting his ideas through the States.

‘I wouldn’t like to say it’s a high percentage, but I’m definitely going to try.

‘Everyone says “yes, yes, yes, housing is the biggest problem” because it is. This will put the 40 people who are elected to the test to say “yes, let’s do something radical”.’

Environment & Infrastucture president Lindsay de Sausmarez said her committee was about to publish its own plan on housebuilding. And she cautioned deputies against ideas which could increase the feeling of urban sprawl across the island.

‘The spatial land use plan is the fundamental way in which we organise development in the island. Its founding principle is that we concentrate development, which includes residential development, in the main centres, which is Town and the Bridge, and some local centres as well,’ said Deputy de Sausmarez.