Saltpans development being addressed by douzaine

An ad hoc committee has been formed by the Vale and is now looking widely at the problem, which will include density and traffic management, prior to reporting back to the douzaine.

Vale senior constable Richard Leale said his douzaine colleagues were delighted to have been approached by their neighbouring colleagues and shared many of the concerns expressed by St Sampson’s about the effects of so much development in the area.

“This is a complex and sensitive topic,” said Mr Leale, “and one which requires some deep consideration, which is why the Vale will consider it at its next meeting, when the sub-committee can report back.

“I appreciate that this might be slower than some like, but such an important proposal deserves full consideration and any statement I might make on it needs to be endorsed by the douzaine as a whole.”

He said that there were several, potentially conflicting, strands at work in the debate.

Policy
“We need to bear in mind that the States has a long-standing policy of concentrating development in the Main Centre “corridor” of St Peter Port and the Bridge area, plus in Local Centres,” he said.

“That’s been the case since the 2016 Island Development Plan, specifically to protect the open space outside those ‘Centre’ areas.”

People might disagree with the principle of “not sharing” development more widely across the island but changing that would require a planning inquiry and the States making a U-turn on previous decisions to preserve greenfield sites.

“I hope we will be looking at this in more detail,” he said, “because if there is little or no chance of getting that major policy revision through before work starts on the new homes at Saltpans Park plus many others at Leale’s Yard and elsewhere in the north, then perhaps the central issue becomes dealing with the consequences of such development.”

Traffic
His personal view was that this hinged on proper traffic management that recognised people’s wants and needs to own and use cars and not be shoehorned into a Planner’s one-size-fits-all bike, bus and walk anti-car approach.

“People are rightly worried about the impact of so many houses being proposed for the north of the island – and that’s before the Guernsey Development Agency’s grand plans for Black Rock and Griffith’s Yard are pursued,” he said.

“But the other factor we need to take into account is the very real need for more homes in the island and some of these sites, like Pointues Rocques and Leale’s Yard, have taken far too long to develop for local houses.”

Mr Leale added: “My comments here are just a brief overview of some of the complex and interdependent issues Saltpans raises and how States’ policies can conflict with residents’ legitimate fears of over-development and pouring more homes into the Vale and St Sampson’s.”

That, he said, was why the two parishes’ sub committees and the douzaines needed time to look at the issues carefully and in depth while acknowledging there was also a wider island dimension on which government had already reached a policy decision.

• The Saltpans area dates back to before the Braye du Valle was reclaimed in 1806 and sea salt was harvested there for export to the UK.