Planning, protests and policy
ANOTHER controversial planning application to build new homes, another open planning meeting, another permission granted, another storm of protest.
This is how planning is working in Guernsey in 2023. If an applicant wants housing, in an area which has been allocated for it, it’s very likely to go ahead. We want more houses, we need more houses. But inevitably there will be controversy and complaints.
The permission for Briarwood, in St Martin’s, will go ahead without any ‘affordable’ housing incorporated after the developers managed to avoid the planning constraint and the Development & Planning Authority agreed.
Cue more calls to scrap the planning policy GP11 and launch a comprehensive review of planning laws and policy.
Some of this work is already under way but the point is made that few things take as long as unravelling planning red tape, with its strong, legally-based system.
The DPA launched a ‘focused’ review of some IDP policies a few weeks ago, looking primarily at supply of land for housing and delivery of new homes.
It says it also wants to make the review process easier for future changes and the public should get a chance to input next year.
Rather than talking about inheriting out-of-date plans, the best bequest this DPA can leave the next States is the framework for an updated Island Development Plan relevant to the present day and with more flexibility for the future.