Cobo site is a green bit of IDP jigsaw
THE latest draft development framework begs a question: how bad does a site have to be before planners will say no?
Most people will not know the Bouverie Lane site in the Castel because it is a small area of scrubland and garden hidden from view by other buildings.
It is best viewed from Google Maps or a pedestrian shortcut that links Route de Cobo with Rue du Bouverie.
The site is vulnerable to development because the Island Development Plan defines it as a part of the Cobo local centre. It is another missing bit of the jigsaw that has seen green spaces across the island earmarked for housing.
There are bigger, better, easier places to develop in the Castel but they are not within a stone’s throw of the metropolis that is Cobo Village. And the policy is all about enhancing the ‘character and vitality’ of local centres through the ‘most effective and efficient use of land’.
Quite how that accords with La Rosseliere, the large property being built opposite despite parish concerns, is hard to understand.
In this instance, the States is willing to cram 5-7 houses on a two-vergee site with a single-track lane giving poor access to the road, no access at all to part of the site, neighbours encroaching on all sides and a bus stop and pedestrian walkway at its exit.
The arable land is not considered big enough to cultivate, but is flat and five metres above sea level. That could be a problem given that much of the site is at risk of sea flooding at least once every decade.
Interestingly, planners expect developers to show how the flood risk has been ‘designed out’ through innovative solutions. Perhaps it will have a moat.
Because of overshadowing by neighbouring properties the architects will also be busy trying to create any privacy. And, for good measure, expect a 19th century house to be demolished.
The good news is that these upright shoeboxes will have minimal car parking, electric vehicle charging points, solar panels and lots of covered cycle hoops.
And the biodiversity box can be ticked as well with the borders of what little green land is left planted with the right types of shrubs and trees.