Three bids to change farmland to gardens are turned down
Three applications to convert agricultural land into gardens have been rejected in the last week.
The unconnected proposals all faced similar issues with planning officers.
The largest was a retrospective application to change 2,618sq. m of agricultural land off Les Tranquesous, in St Saviour’s. A previous application in 2017 was also rejected.
There were glasshouses on the site, until they were cleared in the 1980s and 1990s.
The site is believed to have once been a substantial Iron Age farmstead, but the States archaeologist noted that a survey ordered by the site owner seemed not to recognise this, with the surveyor expecting little in what they described as a ‘remote and non-developed’ site. When anomalies were found using a ground-penetrating radar, the surveyor assumed these were from derelict glasshouses.
‘While the likely presence of underlying archaeology may not have a direct bearing on the decision whether to permit the reclassification of this land from agricultural to domestic garden, I think it is worth pointing out that the GPR report is open to a very different interpretation than that provided to support the application,’ the States archaeologist said in his representation to the application.
The planners went on to reject the application, noting that the land was part of a large swathe of mainly open and undeveloped land, and changing it to domestic use would detrimentally affect the landscape.
They also rejected it on the grounds that it had not been demonstrated that the land could not be used for commercial agriculture. The second largest of the three was in St Martin’s.
The proposal was to change the use of 800sq. m to the east of a bungalow in Val au Bourg. The land is quite close to the south cliffs above Saints Bay and is classed as part of the agricultural priority area.
The land quality is classed as excellent, and the change of use would affect about 40% of a large field bordered by other fields.
The planners felt the domestication of this land would adversely affect the character of the landscape.
They also felt it had not been shown that the land could not be used for commercial agriculture.
The planners also felt the owners of a site off Rue du Vallet, St Peter’s, had not shown that the 625sq. m they wished to change the use of could not be used for commercial agriculture.
This site was also located in a rural area, comprising of large swathes of open and undeveloped land just inland from Rocquaine.
Agriculture, Countryside & Land Management Services noted the sloping area was made up of planted broadleaved woodland and a small area of dense scrub, and this would make it unfavourable for commercial agriculture.
But they did feel it may be possible to increase the area of grassland on site and use this space for agriculture, without the need to remove the woodland.
Planning permission an earlier, larger application to change the use of 1,724sq. m was refused in October 2023 due to a failure to provide proof the land could not be used for agriculture.
The same reason was given for the latest rejection.
n In the same week, two other applications – for sites in King’s Mills and St Sampson’s – were given permission to change from agricultural land to gardens.
