Initially it had been suggested that there might be 80 houses spread across three vinery sites in the area, but after a raft of objections from residents and the parish, the Development & Planning Authority scaled this back.
That left only the Whispers Vinery site, near the main slipway at Vazon, as a prospective target, but the estimated density of about 50 homes on the site was still too many, said resident William Bowen.
Mr Bowen, speaking on behalf of others who had placed representations, said that as well as the density of the housing, there would be serious drainage issues on the site, due to douits being filled in during work there in the 1970s.
He was told by principal forward planning officer Simone Whyte that the potential number of buildings was based on a calculation of the likely number that could fit into the 1.33 hectare site, which was estimated at a total of 53 units.
But Simon Holland from developers Hillstone, also a resident of the area, said it was highly unlikely that the site would deliver the yield of houses estimated.
No formal plans have so far been drawn up, and Mr Holland said he believed that any plans to come would have to ‘jump through all the hoops’ in order to be approved.
There were already 100 homes in the area, said Mr Bowen, and adding another 50 would only cause problems.
He highlighted the traffic problems with people using the Coop store that often led to tailbacks in nearby Rue des Goddards while cars waited to enter the car park.
He did not accept that the area had changed enough to now make it suitable to be a local centre, when the last IDP review had rejected the idea.
Mr Bowen’s comment that the character of the area would change with the development of 50 or so new homes was accepted, although it was pointed out that this did not necessarily mean a change for the worse.