Flooding and traffic concerns over proposals for 80 homes at Vazon
Castel residents were vociferous in raising concerns about flooding and housing and traffic volumes in a parish meeting where they heard politicians and lead officers from the Development & Planning Authority present their proposed changes to the Island Development Plan.
Facing as many as 80 homes being built inland from the north of Vazon Bay, residents said that they were not against the prospect of more housing being built but were worried about the implications of too many units on the drainage of the area, which they said was prone to flooding, as well as an increase in traffic using the ‘already busy’ roads.
DPA president Victoria Oliver and member John Dyke were joined by States principal forward planning officer Simone Whyte and operations manager Anita Walker as they presented their plans to more than 50 people at the parish douzaine room.
Castel has been earmarked for some of the bigger changes within the amendments to the IDP announced earlier this month, including the creation of a new local centre at Vazon comprising three new affordable housing allocation sites at Whispers Vinery on Rue Des Goddards and La Trousserie and Niche Vinery on Route De La Mare.
Former Castel constable Nick Guillemette, a resident of the parish for more than 50 years, said Route De La Mare had often been affected by flooding in the past due to a douit system being filled in by a former housing developer working in the area, which then went bust.
‘There was no redress, we were getting a backfill of seawater coming in, and eventually the whole area had to be re-drained,’ he said.
‘50 years ago the area was just tomato growers, but over the years more and more houses have been built and the drainage system can’t keep up. It’s not designed to cope with this many houses as it is, let alone 80 more.’
Mr Guillemette said the knock-on effect of more cars using the surrounding roads would cause trouble.
‘You’re talking about a lot more people, a lot more cars going out into these roads that are already busy,’ he said.
‘I’m quite happy, personally, to see some housing, but you’ve got to be careful.’
Bill Bowen, who has lived in Castel for two decades, was most concerned about what an increase in traffic would mean for narrow sections of road along Rue Des Goddards and Route De La Mare. He said he had studied requirements for minimum widths to allow cars to pass.
‘In every case, Route de la Mare and the bottom end of Rue Des Goddards were under that by quite a way.’
He said the roads also got very busy with pedestrians, especially in the summer.
‘I think you’ve got a major problem there. I’d be happy with more houses but the density cannot be any more than it is now.
‘I hope they [the DPA] look again.’
Deputy Oliver said the DPA had spoken to Traffic & Highway Services about the issues raised, and had been told by THS that, overall, there was ‘no problem’ with more housing development in the area.
‘However, everything would depend on the detailed planning applications that come forward,’ she said.
‘They would get assessed to make sure it [the area] could cope with the amount of cars. Every site, wherever it gets built, has to be an improvement to the area.’
Islanders have until the end of March to give feedback on the DPA’s proposals.
