30 July 2013
The Planning and Environment Minister, Deputy Rob Duhamel, is proposing changes to the Island Plan to deliver affordable homes for Islanders.
The Island Plan sets out the planning policies for Jersey and was last published in 2011.
Deputy Duhamel has worked with his ministerial colleagues to put forward an updated plan. Among the proposed changes are a plan to rezone privately-owned land specifically for affordable housing, and a review of the contribution of States-owned land to meeting housing needs.
The changes should address the needs of people who have the most difficulty getting on the housing ladder, making affordable homes better targeted and accessible to those most in need.
The proposed revisions include the rezoning of four glasshouse sites and three fields. Also, an existing policy which required builders to include a number of affordable homes in larger private developments will be scrapped.
Ministers will also form a working group to look at possible alternative policies to support the provision of affordable homes by realising value from the development of land.
Planning Minister, Deputy Rob Duhamel, commented “If approved, the change of policy to rezone specific sites for truly affordable homes could make a significant difference to many Islanders. The proposed changes should deliver affordable homes and future work will look at other options open to us to realise the value of land development in Jersey.”
The Housing Minister, Deputy Andrew Green, said “Changes to the economic climate have continued to affect the housing market with a knock-on impact on people's ability to get on to the first rung of the housing ladder. I’m confident that the significant policy changes planned will deliver affordable homes targeted to those who need them most.”
The Chief Minister, Senator Ian Gorst, added “I welcome these proposals as part of our strategy to improve the affordability and standards of housing in Jersey, which Islanders have consistently highlighted as one of their highest priorities.”
Proposed changes to the Island Plan will also affect Jersey’s Coastal National Park. The policy for this area is being made stronger and clearer.
Members of the public are being asked to comment on the proposed changes to the Island Plan and can do so online. The consultation is open until Wednesday 25 September 2013 and will be followed by an examination in public, carried out by an independent planning inspector, before a debate on the proposed revisions to the plan in the States next year.
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