Will housing plan lead to action?
A PROPOSAL from the deputies at the helm of Employment & Social Security to effectively extend the concept of partial home ownership appears at this stage to sound more exciting than it may prove to be in reality.
Estate agents and even the Guernsey Housing Association are playing the concept down somewhat, claiming the move is more of a pilot scheme than a game-changer for home ownership.
It may be seen as a signal of intent, fulfilling the desire within government to be seen to be doing ‘something’ to ameliorate the biggest current crisis in local politics. But it is a sign of action.
Will a proposal to draw up a Housing Action Plan be seen in the same way?
The intention is to prepare a list of States-owned land which is, or could be, made available for all types of tenure of housing development. The plan itself looks as though it might be heavily statistically-based, but the ambition behind it is clear.
The States has commissioned a number of reports on housing in recent times. Many of them carry multiple recommendations, which do not appear to have been followed.
Deputies who like the idea might hope that what sets the HAP apart is apparent ambition to turn permissions into homes and the intent to create a ‘sustained building programme’.
It will certainly be important in this case that the end product becomes more significant than the announcement.