Former DVLA building could house staff from Ferryspeed

The DVLA moved out of the Bulwer Avenue building last June to Edward T Wheadon House, leaving just driving test staff there.

The building currently has four offices and a meeting room on the first floor, while the larger ground floor has seven office spaces, as well as test space, a security office and staff area.

Under proposals submitted to planning, the test area and some offices on the ground floor would be kept, but part of the ground floor would be converted into a living room, and all of the upstairs would become residential, with six bedrooms and a shared shower room.

Ferryspeed is the largest transport and distribution company in Guernsey, with its work including supermarket deliveries.

It has several warehouses around the DVLA building and Ferryspeed general manager Martyn Langlois said a third of the company’s workforce of more than 100 people came from outside the island. He said these workers were vital for the business, as they were more willing to work flexible hours and take on shifts out of hours.

‘Without these staff we would be unable to offer the level of service which is asked of us,’ he said.

‘However, we are always facing the problem of getting new staff, as there is a shortage of local staff. When recruiting overseas staff we always have the problem of housing, as unlike the hotels, we do not provide staff accommodation.’

The business has been in talks with the States Property Unit about leasing the offices.

‘The offices currently remain unoccupied, but we believe that with some minor alterations, it would be perfectly feasible to provide some staff accommodation on the first floor, and thus being able to recruit and retain essential staff,’ Mr Langlois said.

The building is within a key industrial area, but is not currently used for industrial uses.

It is argued in the planning application that the housing is needed to support the industrial area designation.