We must act now to restore open market

The Population Management Law, which was introduced last year, has indeed damaged the open market and also stifled economic growth. There was no need to impose further regulation on only 1,700 houses which had operated successfully in the open market for 40 years or so and historically encouraged beneficial immigration which will now be considerably discouraged because those potential incomers will not easily pay enhanced asking prices for freehold property of which occupation is restricted nearly as much as in the Local Market.

Local Market houses can only be occupied by the locally qualified householder, his spouse or partner, his children, his grandchildren or his parents; no other relative of the householder or other person can occupy a local market property and, of course, there can be no renting out of rooms to unrelated persons. That is sufficient regulation to prevent over-population of the island as is apparently feared by some deputies; the necessary de-regulation and differentiation of only 1,700 of the circa 25,000 houses on the island will not cause the problems of stretched public resources now facing Jersey. So, it is vital that the Population Management Law be swiftly amended to restore the attractiveness of the Open Market to immigrants who will bring new life to Guernsey’s economy.

Name and address withheld.