DPA to discuss requete calling for end to GP11
THE Development & Planning Authority political board is set to discuss a requete to suspend the affordable housing policy GP11, which has been proposed by one of its own members and counter-signed by another.
DPA member John Dyke has put forward the proposals that would see the controversial GP11 policy, which requires developments of 20 units or more to include a percentage of social or affordable housing, suspended or removed.
Deputy Chris Blin, who is also on the five-person committee, was one of the requete’s seven signatories.
In response to questions from the Guernsey Press, DPA president Victoria Oliver said it was not commenting on the requete at this stage.
‘We will need to consider the requete as a committee before we are in a position to comment,’ she said.
GP11 was introduced in 2016 as part of the Island Development Plan, but since its introduction no affordable houses have been built under the scheme.
The DPA is already carrying out a review of the IDP. The Guernsey Construction Forum, which represents a number of builders and property developers, wrote to all deputies in support of the requete. It blames the policy for delaying construction projects and making them financially unviable.
The wording of the requete, which likely to be laid before the States at the meeting starting on 20 March, has been questioned by Employment & Social Security president Peter Roffey. He was concerned that it would enable the States to ‘encourage the provision of residential properties’, without public consultation and the holding of a public inquiry, which is currently required by the planning laws.
