| Committee/Panel: Environment, Housing and Infrastructure Panel | |
| Launch Date: 6 May 2021 | Close Date: To be advised |
| Submissions Deadline: To be advised | Ministerial Response Date: To be advised |
| Review Status: Report published | |
The Panel has now published its report.
About
The Environment, Housing and Infrastructure Scrutiny Panel has launched a review examining affordable housing supply in Jersey.
The review will investigate the challenges and barriers to development that are impacting on the ability to deliver more affordable homes. It will explore the relationship between planning and housing policies and how the Draft Bridging Island Plan 2022-25 seeks to address the supply issues and enable the delivery of more affordable homes. The Panel will also examine how other affordable housing policy mechanisms can be used, alongside planning policy, as part of a wider strategy to combat housing affordability.
The Panel will explore the following key issues which have emerged:
- House prices are at an all-time high and without Government-led intervention, housing is becoming increasingly unaffordable for islanders.
- High land costs and challenges and barriers to development are impacting on the ability to deliver affordable homes.
- There is a lack of up-to-date strategy in relation to how planning policy can be used, in conjunction with other housing policy mechanisms, as part of a wider strategy to combat housing affordability and whether there are adequate Government resources to produce and deliver a strategy.
- The target for the delivery of affordable homes is an ambitious one given the timespan of the Bridging Island Plan 2022-25, and although the Housing Land Availability and Site Assessment has determined that there is capacity to cater for housing demand over the next 5 years, it nevertheless concludes that challenges will remain to ensure the complete delivery of affordable homes.
- Individual parishes have different models for the provision of first-time buyer homes, which lacks clarity and consistency of a joined-up policy approach.
- The Island Public Estate Strategy provides an opportunity to provide land for affordable homes, although the extent to which it will is currently not definitive. It is, however, estimated by the Government of Jersey that up to 425 affordable homes will be delivered from government-owned sites over the plan period.
Terms of reference
- To identify current planning challenges and other barriers to development in relation to affordable housing supply and assess how, and to what extent, the policy proposals contained within the Draft Bridging Island Plan 2022-25 intend to address this.
- To assess whether there are adequate resources and collaborative working within Government to facilitate effective synergies between planning policy and affordable housing policy and to deliver the intended housing goals, as set out in the Draft Bridging Island Plan 2022-25.
- To examine how the Island’s Public Estate Strategy 2021-35 is proposed to contribute to the adequate provision and timely delivery of sites for affordable housing.
- To consider the outcome of the Government’s ‘Housing land availability and site assessment’, in particular, but not limited to: a. the re-zoning of land, and how this will contribute to the successful provision and timely delivery of sites for affordable housing; b. suitable provision for the development of energy efficient affordable homes built to environmentally friendly standards.
- To consider the role of individual parishes in the supply and delivery of affordable housing and any associated policy challenges faced.
- To examine the relationship between current house prices and lack of supply and the role of any other non-planning related policy mechanisms Government intends to utilise in order to address housing affordability in the short-to-medium term.
- To investigate the options and supply of housing for older people and any barriers to the provision of future accommodation needs.