Oliver Coupe, who has completed a BSc in Architecture at the Welsh School of Architecture, has designed a high-density housing concept and presented it to deputies while on a work placement at The Drawing Room.
‘High housing costs are one of the reasons young people are moving away from Guernsey,’ he said.
‘The Drawing Room team tasked me with exploring options to address this issue, and we agreed a communal housing model incorporating shared living spaces, inspired by the UK student housing model, could be an affordable and attractive solution.’
He named the concept ‘Les Jonnes’ – Guernesiais for ‘The Young’. It consists of a pair of three-storey buildings, containing 70 dwellings, with communal outdoor, dining and living areas. He said it would be aimed at offering affordable housing and fostering community.
‘We are not saying that this concept is the answer, but we’re asking whether communal living could be one viable way of providing more affordable housing,’ said Rachel Rogers, director at The Drawing Room.
Before developing his designs, Mr Coupe conducted a small-scale survey of local young people, finding that nearly 70% of respondents would consider staying or returning if the island was more affordable, while almost 60% of respondents said they were open to living in an affordable communal housing unit.
A GradRoutes Guernsey event offered little hope for young people about affordable housing in the island unless things changed significantly.
‘Graduates, particularly, are coming back and have been living in student housing where they have their own room, but have shared facilities,’ said GradRoutes Guernsey director Michelle Morley.
‘Maybe that’s something from a cost perspective that could be something that could be looked at.’
Housing president Steve Williams, who is also a member of the Development & Planning Authority, said that it could be an option for young islanders.
‘I know people in the UK have been looking at that model, particularly for young people in cities,’ he said.
‘Now, whether Guernsey can support this, I don’t know. It’s a matter of a lifestyle issue – obviously, you’ve got less personal space, but more shared, beneficial space.
'Whether Guernsey has the capacity in terms of population to take that I don’t know.
‘The Housing Committee will explore the concept further and see if we can make it a reality on a scale to suit the demand, and of course this type of housing could help single people of all ages.’
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