'Brave decisions' needed to end Leale's Yard planning blight

Brave decisions are needed to end the planning blight caused by the Channel Islands Co-op's ownership of Leale's Yard and its inability to develop the highly important site, the Vale's Senior Constable has said.

Richard Leale, who has no connection with the area despite sharing the same name, was responding after two parish deputies went public in the Guernsey Press (headline above) over their their dissatisfaction about the lack of progress there and called for the States to intervene.

Mr Leale, who has been seeking unsuccessfully to meet the Co-op's management on the issue, supported the calls to end any further delays developing the prime site and suggested that perhaps someone else should now have control of it.

Too important
'Leale's Yard and the opportunities it provides are just too important to the northern parishes and the island generally simply to be left to stagnate in this way,' he said.

'The planners and the States need to step in and insist that future housing developments are on that site first, before proceeding with the "infill" builds along Braye Road, Tertre Lane and elsewhere,' he said.

The time had come to sell off Leale's Yard piecemeal, but with an overall plan regarding the style of dwellings that could be approved there, including affordable housing, but with gardens and proper parking.

The density of development should be reduced so it didn't end up like the now demolished Grande Bouet housing, he said.

All other multi-housing developments in the north of the island should be frozen immediately to force developers into buying portions of the site.

Grave situation
'This situation has become so grave that I agree with Deputies Matt Fallaize and Laurie Queripel that government involvement is needed,' said Mr Leale. 'I do wonder whether the time has finally come for the States to buy the land and, if no agreement can be reached on price, then compulsory purchase has to be considered.

'It will only be through some brave decision-making that the planning blight the Co-op has inadvertently caused in the north of the island can finally come to an end.'

Co-Op responds
Co-op chief executive Colin Macleod issued a statement on Twitter later in the day. He said:

'Despite a number of false dawns I can assure all that @CI_Coop remains focused on finding a deliverable solution and we accept current approach may need refinement. We are working hard behind the scenes and hope to be able to report on progress soon!

• Planning blight: the reduction of economic activity or property values in a particular area resulting from expected or possible future development or restriction of development.