Vazon earmarked for housing under new plans
A new Vazon housing area, a care village at the King Edward VII hospital site and more housing around the PEH are among the proposals being put forward in the latest amendments to the Island Development Plan.
But six sites put forward for housing last summer have all been pulled, to be replaced with eight new brownfield sites.
It is proposed that Belgrave Vinery, a long-term target for housing, will now stay zoned as industrial land, while the site at the Saltpans known as the Data Park would all be allocated for housing – adding to a spread of former glasshouse sites being considered for housing.
Development & Planning Authority president Victoria Oliver said her committee was aware of strong feelings that houses needed to be built on brownfield sites, rather than green fields.
So it had gone back to the drawing board on finding possible sites.
That included adding some States-owned brownfield sites.
Landowners who had previously only wanted their sites used for private market housing, have now been spoken to about considering affordable housing.
‘We listened to those who said that they wanted to make sure that brownfield and redundant glasshouse sites were exhausted before considering green fields for housing, and we now have the opportunity to propose the use of brownfields, including States-owned sites such as Castel Hospital, Perruque House and King Edward VII,’ said Deputy Oliver.
‘It is our responsibility to ensure that there is enough land available for housing in the medium-term, therefore, having listened carefully to the feedback and carried out further extensive research, we believe these proposals provide a sensible, pragmatic and balanced solution.’
The new sites include Les Caches Farm, opposite St Peter’s Morrisons, and the former Fletcher’s Freesias glasshouse site on Route Carre near L’Islet.
These will replace the six sites put forward in the first round of representations, which included three sites in St Martin’s.
Three of the new sites – Whispers Vinery, Niche Vinery and La Trousserie – would be in a newly created local centre at Vazon, which includes Co-op Locale on Rue des Goddards and Vistas kiosk. Local centres are one of the areas where new housing can be created and this would be a third Castel local centre, along with Cobo and L’Aumone.
Islanders are being invited to feed back on the proposals by the end of March.
Read full coverage in Tuesday’s Press.
