Simon Bone and Oliver Brock first met at school in Guernsey.
They have joined forces to launch Island Land, which they say is a bid to address the island’s housing crisis by using artificial intelligence and planning know-how to accelerate the transformation of old and unused sites.
They said the project was a ‘revolutionary low-risk model’, helping landowners to unlock the potential of their sites.
‘The major issue with site conversion is that professional planning costs and fees can add up to tens or hundreds of thousands of pounds, which could be a huge gamble for a property owner as gaining approval is not a certainty,’ said Mr Bone who has a background in planning development finance.
‘Both Oliver and I know of several opportunities for building local homes that haven’t gone ahead due to the risks involved. I am involved with a similar scheme in the UK and we decided that this model could also work well on the island, so we launched Island Land to help fix the community’s dire need for housing.’
Mr Brock, a trained architect with more than 20 years in local planning experience, added: ‘We’re witnessing families across the Channel Islands struggling to find affordable homes while brownfield sites sit idle.
‘Our model removes a large barrier that prevents these sites from being developed. We handle the outline planning process, pay all fees, and take on all the risk. We only benefit when and if we succeed – if planning isn’t approved, landowners pay nothing.’
The company said that once planning permission had been secured, it would conduct a public sale to ensure transparent and competitive prices that achieve maximum value for all parties and ‘guarantee fairness’.
‘We are very keen to help avoid development on beloved greenfield sites,’ Mr Bone said.
‘By focusing exclusively on brownfield and industrial sites, Island Land supports sustainable development policies while helping to preserve our precious natural spaces.’
The company is happy to be contacted by anyone interested in talking about a potential brownfield project at www.islandland.co.uk.
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