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PLANNING FOR HOMES: REZONING OF LAND FOR SOCIAL RENTED AND FIRST-TIME BUYER HOMES _______________
Lodged au Greffe on 5th October 1999
by the Planning and Environment Committee
______________________________
STATES OF JERSEY
STATES GREFFE
175 1 9 9 9 P . 1 5 0
Price code: D
PROPOSITION
THE STATES are asked to decide whether they are of opinion -
a) to rezone to use for social rented and/or first-time buyer homes and ancillary community facilities -
i) f r o m th e Agricultural Priority Zone about 5.2 vergees of land at Hodge Nurseries, including Field 94, two areas of ageing glasshouses on part of Fields 93 and 94 and the property known as L'Abri', La Grande Route de la Côte, St. Clement, as shown on Map No. 625/2;
ii ) f r o m th e Green Zone about 3.2 vergees of land at Bagot Manor Farm, including a dilapidated
glasshouse complex, Bagot Manor Road, St. Saviour, together with an area of land at the southern end of Field 812 required for access purposes, as shown on Map No. 625/3;
iii ) f r o m th e Agricultural Priority Zone about 8.1 vergees of land at Field 1078, comprising an old
glasshouse nursery and the property known as Abilina', La Grande Route de St. Jean, Sion, St. John, as shown on Map No. 625/4;
iv ) f r o m th e Sensitive Landscape Area of the Agricultural Priority Zone about 2.7 vergees of land at Field
615, La Chasse Brunet, St. Saviour, as shown on Map No. 625/6;
v ) f r o m th e Sensitive Landscape Area of the Agricultural Priority Zone about 9.5 vergees of land at Fields
378 and 379, Bel Air Lane/Rue a la Dame, St. Saviour, as shown on Map No. 625/5;
b ) to rezone about 36.7 vergees of land at Fields 1218 and 1219, Mont a L'Abbé, St. Helier , as shown on Map
No. 625/1, from the Green Zone to use for a mixed development of social rented and first-time buyer homes, self-catering tourist accommodation and community facilities (including educational uses, public open space and cemetery extensions);
c ) to agree that in the event of a proven need, the Planning and Environment Committee, in consultation with
appropriate Committees, should require a suitable portion of any land described in paragraphs (a) and (b) where appropriate, for accommodation and specialised facilities to meet the requirements of elderly and handicapped people;
d ) in the event of proposals for the private development of any of the land described in paragraphs (a) and (b)
failing to satisfy the Planning and Environment Committee and Housing Committee within six months of the land being zoned, to authorise the Planning and Environment Committee to negotiate with the owners for the purchase of the land at a fair and proper price to be agreed with the Finance and Economics Committee;
e ) to agree that in the event of it not being possible to reach agreement on a fair and proper purchase price, the
Planning and Environment Committee should be empowered, in exercise of the power conferred by Article 4 of the Island Planning (Jersey) Law, 1964, to acquire the land by compulsory purchase on behalf of the public in accordance with the provisions of the Compulsory Purchase of Land (Procedure)(Jersey) Law, 1961, as amended;
f) to authorise the payment or discharge of the expenses to be incurred in connexion with the acquisition of the said land and all interest therein and of the payment of all legal expenses from the Housing Development Fund;
g ) if appropriate to authorise the Planning and Environment Committee to transfer any land acquired in
accordance with paragraphs (d) and (e) to the administration of the Housing Committee ;
h ) to authorise the Attorney General and the Greffier of the States to pass, on behalf of the public, any contracts
which might be found necessary to pass in connexion with the said properties and any interests therein.
PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE
REPORT
Summary
The provision of homes to meet the community's needs continues to be one of the most important issues facing the Island. It has occupied the minds of the current Planning and Environment Committee ever since it took office, not least, because its appointment coincided with a dramatic change in the housing situation and the emergence of a significant immediate shortage of sites for new homes.
From the outset, the Planning and Environment Committee sought to address this shortage by focusing on bringing forward previously developed land in the town of St. Helier and other built-up areas of the Island. This preferred approach, which has become known as the Urban Sites Initiative, is consistent with States' strategic policy objectives. It is favoured by the Committee, because it assists the process of urban regeneration, avoids undue erosion of the countryside and generally helps in promoting wider environmental/sustainability aims.
In pursuing its aims for unlocking the development potential of urban sites, the Planning and Environment Committee has brought together key States committees and departments and all the other relevant parties involved in the provision of housing. The on-going work of the Housing Forum, in particular, has proved valuable in initiating positive progress and stimulating the exchange of new ideas. It has also led directly towards the establishment of a corporate, consensual approach towards tackling the Island's housing problems, facilitated by regular joint meetings of the Policy and Resources, Finance and Economics, Housing and Planning and Environment Committees ("the Four Committees").
There can be no doubt that the Urban Sites Initiative, which has already secured sites for upwards of 240 homes, has and will continue to enjoy considerable success. However, despite this success, it is clear that town sites and other built-up area sites will take time to develop and will not be sufficient, on their own, to meet all the projected requirements for social rented and first-time buyer homes up to the end of 2003. For this reason, the Four Committees have been forced to adopt a sequential approach to site selection. To this end, they agreed to extend the search for housing sites to the edge of the built-up area in parallel with the main thrust of bringing forward urban sites.
The six sites being recommended for rezoning in this proposition represent the culmination of an extensive and objective site selection and evaluation process, which has been undertaken by the Planning and Environment Committee, as part of a shared action plan agreed jointly by the Four Committees. The site selection and evaluation process has involved consultation with relevant States' committees and departments, Parish representatives, service companies and landowners. In addition, the Planning and Environment Committee has canvassed the public's views on the strategy and the specific sites in question before finalising its position and asking the States to decide. Details of the sites under investigation have been released through the media and published in a leaflet entitled Planning for Homes, and the Committee hosted a series of public meetings in each of the Parishes affected by the proposals, together with a specifically-requested meeting with the Mont à l'Abbé Residents' Association.
The sites being put forward involve four different Parishes and are theoretically capable of providing approximately 240 family homes - over half the currently projected shortfall for such homes up to the end of 2003. They all have willing owners, reasonable access to services and, most importantly, they are generally considered to have the least impact on the landscape.
Background
A change in the housing situation.
Since 1993, there have been a regular series of published reviews covering the supply of land in the Island for housing purposes. These so-called Residential Land Availability Reviews were undertaken by the Department of Planning and Building Services in consultation with the Housing Department and the former Office of the Chief Adviser. The earlier reviews consistently concluded that the existing housing stock and sites already identified for housing purposes were probably sufficient to meet the Island's requirements for the following five years. However, the review undertaken in October 1997 provided a quite different result. It pointed to significant reductions in the supply of new "social housing" and an increase in the demand for new housing in virtually all sectors of the market and concluded that -
" th e r e lative equilibrium between the supply of land and the demand for social need and first-time buyer housing
had disappeared".
It was estimated, at that time, that there would be a serious shortfall in available sites in the following five years, and that additional sites would be required over and above those already earmarked, in order to accommodate around 850 homes. These findings were echoed in the subsequent review of June 1998.
Preferred approach - the Urban Sites Initiative
Faced with a significant and growing requirement for land to provide new homes, the Planning and Environment Committee resolved in the first instance to meet this requirement, as far as possible, by securing the release of previously developed land in the built-up area. Its efforts in this regard have become known as the Urban Sites Initiative.
This approach is entirely in accordance with the Strategic Policy objectives of the States, which are set our in 2000 and Beyond : Strategic Policy Review, 1995, as follows -
- " to ensure that all individuals living in the Island are adequately housed with priority given to those with residential qualifications";
- " to preserve open land, whilst recognising and responding to the need to provide for the Island's economic and Social policy objectives";
- " to discourage development in the rural environment".
In the same document, the Planning and Environment Committee is also specifically requested to -
- " r eflect in its planning decisions the need to concentrate residential development, as far as possible, within the existing urban area".
There are numerous advantages in pursuing such a strategy, including -
• th e ready availability of mains services and other infrastructure (including roads, shops, community facilities);
• th e opportunities to employ higher densities and make more economic use of land;
• th e reduction in the amount of travel and the length of journeys (e.g. trips from home to work and the shops);
• th e increased opportunities to use more efficient forms of transport (i.e. buses/cycles/walking);
• th e potential contribution to the regeneration of outworn buildings and areas in St. Helier;
• th e reduction in the need to develop open land and make incursions into the countryside.
In December 1997, the Planning and Environment Committee and the former Housing Committee agreed as a joint initiative, to establish the Housing Forum, to help promote the Urban Sites Initiative. It brought together States' committees and departments, agencies, professionals and other bodies associated with providing housing in the Island, to work out the best means of bringing forward and developing sites in the built-up area. The "Housing Forum" is an on-going process and its undoubted success is widely recognised and well documented elsewhere.
Success of the Urban Sites Initiative
There can be no doubt that the Urban Sites Initiative has enjoyed considerable success to date. Since the start of the year, the States has purchased or secured six sites, which could potentially provide upwards of 260 new homes, as set out in Figure 1 below. A further three sites are in the final stages of negotiation, which have the potential to yield a further 159 homes. In relation to the sites already secured, work is now underway on the next stage of design and development.
Figure 1: S ite s secured under the Urban Sites Initiative
Site Potential yield
surplus land at Highlands College 8 surplus land at the former Jersey College for Girls 5 0 Le Coie Hotel 1 2 2 Aquila Youth Centre 2 6 Mont St. Clair Hotel 1 8 Sunshine Hotel 3 9 Total yield 2 6 5
The Urban Sites Initiative is an on-going process and much more extensive than the successes to date might suggest. Between 30-40 further sites have been investigated and, in almost all instances, draft layouts have been prepared and evaluated with a view to assessing development potential. Not all those sites will come through to development. Furthermore, many of the sites could not, in any event, be reasonably expected to provide homes within the time-frame currently being addressed. However, each of those sites is being investigated and carefully monitored, so that if the opportunity arises and the conditions of sale are right, action can be quickly taken.
In parallel with the Urban Sites Initiative, it is important to note that the Planning and Environment Committee has, within the last five months, granted consent for a further 180 homes within the built-up area. The sites involved are in private ownership, but they provide the opportunity to increase and enhance the Island's housing stock and could, with appropriate intervention/negotiation, contribute directly to meeting the present shortfall of social-rented and first-time buyer homes.
Current estimated requirement for new homes
The latest report on residential availability was published in February 1999. Entitled Planning for Homes, it was the first such document to be produced jointly by the Policy and Resources, Finance and Economics, Housing and Planning and Environment Committees.
Unfortunately, despite the success of the Urban Sites Initiative, Planning for Homes suggests that in the period up to the end of 2003, and taking into account the estimated yield from identified urban sites, there is still likely to be a projected shortfall of -
• ap p roximately 400 social rented homes;
• ap p roximately 230 first-time buyer homes.
It was estimated that approximately 60 per cent of the shortfall of social rented housing (250 homes) and 72 per cent of the shortfall of first-time buyer homes (170) would be for three- bedroom family homes.
The report goes on to point out the urgency for securing the majority of additional sites required to meet projected housing requirements up to the end of 2003. The majority of these will need to be released during 1999 and the remainder in 2000, bearing in mind the average lead-in time of three years before homes can be completed on rezoned land.
Since Planning for Homes was published, a number of urban sites have been secured, although these have tended to be more suited to the provision of smaller housing units and are unlikely to have any significant impact on the projected requirements for larger family homes. Indeed, an interim up-date of housing requirements undertaken by the departments of Housing and Planning and Building Services in July 1999, revealed a shortfall of sites for three-bedroom homes for the period up to the end of 2003, similar to that projected in Planning for Homes.
A corporate response
Since May 1998 there have been a regular series of joint meetings between the Policy and Resources, Finance and Economics, Housing and Planning and Environment Committees, in order to discuss housing policy and site availability. The meetings have been primarily aimed at establishing a corporate, consensual approach to tackling the Island's housing problems and generally to assist the development of a strategy for meeting the future housing needs of Islanders.
The Four Committees have worked together to draw up a Shared Action Plan for providing homes for Islanders into the next century, based on the following agreed statement -
1 . M ost homes can be provided in built-up areas.
2 . I t may be necessary to develop suitable land on the edge of built-up areas. 3 . N e w developments in the countryside will be resisted.
As part of a package of measures agreed in response to the findings of the latest review of residential land availability, the Four Committees agreed that the Planning and Environment Committee should -
- " u ndertake an investigation of sites on the edge of the built-up areas, in parallel with progressing the Urban Sites".
Site selection process
The sites currently recommended for re-zoning have emerged following a comprehensive and objective site selection and appraisal process.
At the outset, well over 100 possible sites were included for consideration, comprising sites which have either been offered by local landowners, or which have previously been shortlisted by the Department of Planning and Building Services as a result of earlier Island-wide studies.
Preliminary work involved a sieving exercise to identify a manageable number of sites, which could be regarded as most worthy of detailed consideration. Sites excluded as a result of this exercise included those which were -
• is o lated from built-up area boundaries;
• lik ely to yield less than five dwellings;
• lik ely to have an adverse impact on the landscape;
• af f ected by known overriding site constraints.
After careful consideration of the remaining sites, the Planning and Environment Committee eventually endorsed a prioritised list of 11 sites for detailed investigation. These sites fell into the following categories -
• g la sshouse sites located either on the edge of the main built-up area, or the edge of village settlements;
• u n developed and/or partially developed land, either enclosed by, or on the edge of the main built-up area.
The 11 sites were then the subject of detailed feasibility studies conducted over a three-month period, which involved -
• p re liminary on-site analysis work;
• co n sultation with main service providers, relevant States' departments, landowners and Parish authorities;
• an investigation of planning site histories;
• le g al searches.
The Planning and Environment Committee visited those sites which were found to be the most feasible and undertook a series of meetings with the relevant Parish Constables and Deputies. It subsequently published a modified list of potential sites, outlining their advantages and disadvantages, both through the local media and in a specially produced information leaflet entitled Planning for Homes. The Committee also sought the views of the general public through a series of public meetings in each of the Parishes affected, before finalising its position on the sites currently being recommended to the States.
Recommended sites
It goes without saying that finding suitable sites on the edge of built-up areas is not an easy task. Many of the more obvious sites have already been developed as a result of previous studies. Certainly it is not possible now, if it ever was, to find perfect sites which satisfy every objective and all interests. However, on balance, it is contended that the many advantages of the sites in question outweigh the arguments put forward for retaining them in their present use.
Basic details about the six sites currently being recommended for re-zoning are set out in Appendix 1, and their locations are indicated on the plans appended to this report.
The sites are distributed between four different Parishes - St. John and the three urban Parishes of St. Helier , St. Saviour and St. Clement , and include -
• th r ee glasshouse sites in St. Saviour , St. Clement and St. John respectively;
• tw o undeveloped sites on the edges of the built-up area in St. Saviour ;
• an undeveloped site, effectively enclosed by the built-up area in St. Helier .
There are still some detailed points to resolve in connection with some of the recommended sites, but they all have the benefit of -
• w illin g owners;
• ac c ess to main services;
• ac c ess to community facilities, albeit to varying degrees,
Furthermore, the Planning and Environment Committee is of the opinion that they can be developed with minimal impact on the wider landscape.
It has been estimated that the sites in question could theoretically yield the equivalent of some 240 three-bedroom family homes. This has been calculated on the basis of a notional density of 70 habitable rooms per acre, and takes into account normal requirements for amenity space and potential space requirements associated with the provision of community facilities. This theoretical housing yield equates to over half (57 per cent) of the currently projected shortfall in family homes for the period up to the end of 2003. The Committee remains hopeful that the remainder of the shortfall will largely be met by urban sites which will continue to come forward as part of the Urban Sites Initiative.
Of course, the actual density and housing yields attained on each site will depend on a whole range of factors, including the mix of house tenures, types and sizes agreed by/with the Housing Committee. Site yields will only be accurately assessed at a later stage, following the preparation of detailed design and layout studies. In any event, the Planning and Environment Committee will seek to ensure that the density of any residential development will be the highest possible whilst consistent with maintaining reasonable standards of design, space inside and around buildings, light and air, providing an amenity appropriate to the type of accommodation and the character of the surrounding area.
Public consultation
The Planning and Environment Committee organised a series of public meetings, which were held in the four Parishes affected by its proposals, during September 1999. The aims were to explain the strategy for selecting housing sites and to give parishioners and members of the public an opportunity to air their views. All the meetings were very well attended and have proved extremely valuable.
Common Issues
A number of commonly held views and concerns were raised at the meetings, which have implications for States policy. In many instances, the areas of concern extend beyond the duties and responsibilities of the Planning and Environment Committee and the land use issues addressed by this proposition. A summary of the main broad issues arising from the meetings is outlined below -
H o u s in g need
• g en eral recognition that many Islanders are in genuine need of a home;
• co n cern about the seemingly high proportion of "luxury flats" built in recent years;
L o c a tio n of sites
• co n sensus of support for sites which do not damage the Island's open countryside;
• re p eated call for all Parishes to share in shouldering responsibility for meeting the need for housing sites; Site d e v elopment
• ca l l for integrated traffic management approach when considering new housing schemes;
• co n cern that new development should be provided with adequate parking space;
• s u pport for a holistic development of sites which ensures new housing is supported by vital community facilities and amenities;
Fir s t- tim e buyer homes
• d es ire for States to act to overcome "impossibly high" prices for new homes and ensure they are affordable;
• re q uest for the establishment of a States list of first-time buyers;
• ca l l for restrictions on the onward sale of homes built specifically for first-time buyers;
• p re ference for the Parish authorities to have some control over the nominations for homes built in their areas;
So c ia l r ented homes
• c o ncerns about the adverse effect of social rented housing on the Parish rates distribution and, in particular, the additional welfare costs arising from such developments;
• cr it icism about the unequal welfare burdens borne by the urban Parishes; U r b a n liv ing
• d o ubts about the suitability of the main urban areas as suitable places to live, especially for families, because of problems associated with traffic, noise, lack of safe pedestrian access, lack of open space and play space for
children;
U r b a n r enewal
• s u p port for improving the quality of urban life, including replacing outworn buildings and run-down areas, more traffic management measures, improved access to public transport and the provision of usable open
space;
Po p u la tio n
• an x iety about future population growth and concern that if it continues to be "ineffectively controlled", there is little prospect of an end to the loss of land for housing purposes;
Fu tu r e h ousing sites
• c o ncern that the current recommended sites are simply a first step towards further loss of open land both in the areas concerned and elsewhere.
Site specific issues
The public meetings also gave rise to a number of site specific and parochial issues, which are summarised in Appendix 2. In addition to the comments raised in the public meetings, the Planning and Environment Committee has received written and verbal representations from groups and individuals, as follows -
• R e presentations from the Mont à l'Abbé Residents' Association
T h e C o m m itte e has subsequently met with the Association and looks f o rw ard to a continuing dialogue
aimed primarily at ensuring that any future development at Mont à l'Abbé will have as little impact as possible on the local environment.
• L e tters of objection
E le v e n le tt e r s of objection have been received; eight relating to sites in St. Saviour and three relating to sites in St. Helier. The comments included in the letters generally reflect concerns expressed at the public meetings.
• O th er objections
T w o o b je c tio n s have been received by telephone.
• L e tters of support for the provision of sites for first-time buyers
R e p re s e ntatives of first-time buyers on the Island have submitted a list of over 100 households currently
requiring homes, together with supporting letters from 62 prospective buyers offering support and outlining their plight.
As a direct result of the public consultation process, the Planning and Environment Committee has withdrawn the proposal to rezone a site at First Tower (Field 1533).
Design criteria for site development
It is intended that all the sites rezoned for residential purposes will be the subject of specific site development briefs, prepared in consultation with the relevant Committees, which will be approved by the Planning and Environment Committee and will set the broad guidelines and parameters for future development.
Applicants will be encouraged at an early stage of design to produce housing layouts which take full advantage of the site and its setting, having regard to such factors as existing landscape/townscape, shape and slope of sites, existing buildings, trees and other features on or adjacent to sites, and views to and from sites.
In addition to meeting normal accommodation and planning standards, general advice will be offered regarding road layout, vehicular access, pedestrian movement, landscaping, amenity/play space provision, building design and materials and the treatment of spaces between buildings.
The Committee is particularly anxious that developers pay very close attention to the design quality of new housing areas. The aims should be to ensure that -
• fu tu re residents are provided with a good quality living environment;
• site s are developed economically and efficiently;
• o p portunities are examined for encouraging more sustainable living, in accordance with States' strategic policies;
• d ev elopments are sympathetic to the character of surrounding areas;
• d ev elopments are properly integrated with surrounding areas.
Making it happen
Current States policy is that the private sector will take the lead in developing homes on the sites in question. Developers will be expected to adhere strictly to the specifications of the Housing Committee and the terms of any development brief.
Given the urgent need for the delivery of homes, it is considered prudent, as a precautionary measure, to include in the proposition default powers of site acquisition and compulsory purchase. In the event of difficulties arising which prevent satisfactory private development proposals being drawn up or advanced, the Committee would seek to acquire the site on a voluntary basis for a fair and proper price. Financial resources for such purposes have recently been granted approval by the States, in the form of the Housing Development Fund.
If, in the circumstance described above, it is not possible to acquire a site voluntarily, then the only realistic option for releasing the site, albeit as a last resort, is the use of compulsory purchase powers, which allows for the price to be determined by an independent arbiter.
Of course it is sincerely hoped that the goodwill and co-operation of land owners and developers will help ensure that an effective and timely programme of home building is maintained to meet the community's identified housing needs and lessen the requirement for the rezoning of additional land.
Where development permission is granted for a specific form of housing development, be it first-time buyer or social rented homes, the Planning and Environment Committee intends to impose conditions to ensure that these homes continue to be used for the purposes for which they were originally constructed.
Conclusion
The Planning and Environment Committee has no particular wish to propose the re-zoning of land outside the built-up area. However, the Committee, and indeed the States, have an obligation to provide sufficient land to meet the community's requirements for homes.
Clearly, the main thrust of strategy must continue to be aimed at releasing previously used land in the built-up areas, and there is firm evidence that a very large number of the required homes can be provided in this way. However, there is also evidence that the Urban Sites Initiative will not, by itself, bring forward sufficient sites in time to accommodate all of the projected shortfall in social rented and first-time buyer homes for the period up to the end of 2003.
This proposition is part of a measured, corporate approach to the housing shortage, which has the commitment of four States' committees and is believed to be in the best interests of the community. The Planning and Environment Committee has looked at over 100 sites, and those which are being recommended have emerged following a careful process of sieving, evaluation and consultation.
The recommended sites have willing owners and readily available services, and they are generally located on the periphery of the main urban area, where the landscape impact is low, and where opportunities exist to use public transport or other energy efficient modes of transport. Together, these sites can provide over half the current projected shortfall.
The Planning and Environment Committee is very aware of the difficulties inherent in bringing forward a proposition for re- zoning, and it has at all times sought to strike the right balance between the need to conserve the countryside and agricultural land and the requirement for new homes. The Committee is of the opinion that the provision of homes and community facilities on the sites in question is in the public interest and outweighs any arguments put forward in favour of retaining the sites in their present use.
The Committee will continue its search for suitable housing sites conscious of the need to protect the countryside from unnecessary development. The main focus of the work, therefore, will remain as it is at present, and every effort will be made to secure the release of sufficient suitable land from the urban and built-up areas.
Sites recommended for rezoning
Nature of site and factors in Potential constraints Island Site area Est. yield
favour Plan Zone vergées *2
*1 (acres) (three- bedroom
homes)
- Hodge Nurseries, St. Clement
• ageing nursery complex and proposed means of APZ 5.2 (2.3) 29 paddocks access, only suitable
• "backland" site behind for up to 50 homes
frontage development along development potential
coast road restricted by limited
• could be developed with capacity of Le Squez
minimal impact on wider Primary School
landscape
• reasonable access to
community facilities,
including -
n local shop
n church
n beach
n bus route
• ready access to main services
• opportunity for direct vehicular access from Coast Road
• generally consistent with Island Plan Policy CO 28 *3
• of little agricultural value/not opposed by the Agriculture and Fisheries Committee
• WILLING OWNERS
favour Plan Zone vergées *2 *1 (acres) (three-
bedroom homes)
- Bagot Manor Farm, St Saviour
• outworn glasshouse Green 3.2 (1.4) 20 complex Zone
• "backland" site behind frontage development
• could be developed with
minimal impact on wider
landscape
• reasonable access to
community facilities,
including -
n p rimary school
n sh opping parade
n su permarket
n b us route
• ready access to main services
• opportunity for direct
vehicular access to Les
Varines
• generally consistent with Island Plan policy CO28
• of little agricultural value/not opposed by the Agriculture and Fisheries Committee
• qualified support of Parish
• WILLING OWNERS
favour Plan Zone vergées *2 *1 (acres) (three-
bedroom homes)
- Field 1078, Sion, St. John
• old and ageing glass house limited capacity of St. APZ 8.1 (3.6) 45 complex and underused John's Primary School open land
• located in heart of Sion
• "backland" site
• could be developed with
minimal impact on wider
landscape
• opportunity to support and
add to local community
services
• reasonably good access to mains services
• opportunity for direct
vehicular access to La
Grande Route de St. Jean
• generally consistent with Island Plan Policy CO28
• of little agricultural value/not opposed by the Agriculture and Fisheries Committee
• qualified support of Parish
• WILLING OWNER
favour Plan Zone vergées *2 *1 (acres) (three-
bedroom homes)
- Field 615, Patier Road, St. Saviour
• small agricultural field good agricultural SLA-APZ 2.7 (1.2) 17
• enclosed on three sides by land/opposed by the
existing residential Agriculture and
development Fisheries Committee
• development could be limited capacity of St.
regarded as "rounding off" Saviour's School
existing built-up area
• relatively close to town
• could be developed with
minimal impact on wider
landscape
• reasonably good access to community facilities locally,
including -
n p laying fields
n se condary school
n p rimary school
n sm all park
n w ide range of shops and
facilities at Five Oaks
n b us route
• ready access to main services
• qualified support of Parish
• WILLING OWNER
Nature of site and factors in Potential constraints Island Site area Est. yield
favour Plan Zone vergées *2
*1 (acres) (three- bedroom
homes)
- Fields 378 and 379, Five Oaks, St. Saviour
• horse paddocks inadequate water SLA-APZ 9.5 (4.2) 53
• well located on edge of Five supply at present Oaks (programme
• enclosed by existing scheduled for 2000-
development and high 2004)
roadside banks necessity to resolve
• could be developed with traffic/pedestrian
minimal impact on the conflict along
wider landscape Deloraine Road
• good access to most services and community facilities
• reasonable access to main services
• land not cultivated for several years/not opposed by the Agriculture and Fisheries Committee
• qualified support of Parish
• WILLING OWNERS
Nature of site and factors in Potential constraints Island Site area Est. yield
favour Plan Zone vergées *2
*1 (acres) (three- bedroom
homes)
- Fields 1218 & 1219, Mont a l'Abbé, St. Helier
• relatively flat, elevated site good agricultural Green 36.7 (16.3) 78
• unrestricted in size and land/opposed by the Zone together shape Agriculture and with an
• comprises two agricultural Fisheries Committee extens-ion fields residential of self -
• well located within walking development on this catering distance of town and other sites in St. accom.
• enclosed by existing Helier are likely to and a range development necessitate of comm-
• with sensitive design and development of a new unity layout, the site could be primary school on-site facilities
developed with minimal comprehensive
impact on the wider development of the
landscape site with both housing
• good access to existing and additional
services and community educational facilities
facilities will require a traffic
• opportunities exist for a modelling exercise
comprehensive/orderly re-
planning of the area
• opportunities exist to
provide a range of
community facilities,
including -
n e xtensions to the
adjacent cemeteries
n n ew public open spaces
n a primary school and
day nursery
n sp ace to enable any
future expansion of
Haute Vallée School
• opportunities exist for the
introduction of a tree-
planting belt to restore the
natural skyline above St.
Anne's Terrace
• opportunities exist to extend
the existing self-catering
complex at Uplands Hotel,
thus enhancing its future
viability
• the Parish has previously
offered in-principle support
for a similar scheme
• WILLING OWNERS
NOTES -
*1 A PZ = Agricultural Priority Zone
SL A A PZ = Sensitive Landscape Area of the Agricultural Priority Zone
*2 T h e oretical number of homes which could be produced on the developable area of each site, based on three-
bedroom homes at a density of 70 habitable rooms per acre (i.e. 14 x three-bedroom homes per acre), having regard to normal requirements for community open space and the space requirements of other community facilities to be provided on-site.
*3 I s la n d Plan Policy CO28 reads as follows -
" N e w d e v e lo p ment on uneconomic glasshouse sites may be approved but each application will be judged on
its merits. Sites which are closely related to built-up areas, which have good access to services and where development would not constitute an unacceptable intrusion into open countryside will be considered favourably, particularly where their development would provide essential housing accommodation.".
Summary of comments arising from public meetings
Parish of St. John (1st September 1999)
There appeared to be a consensus that Field 1078, Sion, could be suitable for housing purposes. However, concerns were raised about -
• th e suggested density and scale of development;
• th e limited availability of Community facilities locally;
• th e loss of a horticultural holding;
• th e Parish's ability to nominate future residents with strong local connection;
• th e perceived precedent for developing a large area of land to the south of the site.
Parish of St. Saviour (3rd September 1999)
Those present appeared to recognise the need to provide young parishioners with an opportunity to obtain houses, but there was general concern about the level of development which has already occurred in the Parish, and more specifically about the potential to worsen the current traffic problems being experienced by local residents.
The proposal to re-zone Fields 378 and 379, Five Oaks, gave rise to the most significant concerns related to traffic conditions and road safety. The traffic in this area, and in particular Deloraine Road, is already a cause of concern for residents, because the roads are narrow, heavily trafficked, used as rat-runs for school traffic and lack footpaths. Some concern was also expressed about the loss of agricultural land in an area predominantly rural in character.
Concerns relating to Field 615, Patier Road, were largely related to the loss of good agricultural land and the perceived threat posed to the much larger adjacent area of open agricultural land.
This latter concern was also raised in respect to the Bagot Manor Farm site, although the site itself appears to have been generally well received, provided appropriate arrangements are made for access.
Parish of St. Clement (6th September 1999)
There was an apparent consensus about the need to provide affordable homes for first-time buyers, and it was generally considered that every effort should be made to help the young people of the Parish to get on the housing ladder. This led directly to calls for the establishment of a St. Clement Parish Register.
Some concerns were expressed about the suitability of the Hodge Nurseries site, because it would involve loss of agricultural land, the generation of additional traffic and difficulties in providing vehicular access onto the Coast Road. However, the overwhelming mood of the meeting appeared to be in support of the site. Indeed, there were calls to extend the proposed development area westwards to the boundary with Le Marais.
Parish of St. Helier (September 1999)
The meeting raised concerns about a number of issues arising from the proposals to rezone land at Mont a l'Abbé and First Tower, relating to -
• th e level of development already planned for St. Helier;
• th e loss of green fields/open areas on the edge of the built-up area;
• th e additional traffic which would be generated by the proposed development;
• th e lack of facilities locally for older children up to 15 years of age.
Although there was some support for those who require new homes, it was generally considered that St. Helier has already "had its fair share of development".
Strong opposition was expressed in particular to the proposed development of Field 1533, Tower Road, because of its agricultural quality and its value as a "green lung" in an otherwise built-up area.