States examines lack of private homes being built

It is expected an initial report will be out by summer

Guernsey's Committee for the Environment & Infrastructure (E&I) is looking into what can be done to encourage the completion of more private housing developments.

E&I said planning permission had been given for hundreds of new units in the last few years, but only fraction of them had been or were currently being developed.

It said it now wanted to investigate the reasons behind the lack of delivery as part of the Guernsey Housing Plan.

Developers and the construction sector would be consulted as part of the work, officials said.

'A priority'

Committee president Lindsay de Sausmarez said: "We really do need to understand what is preventing new homes from coming forward as fast as we need them to.

"Increasing housing supply will help to alleviate the significant housing pressures the island is experiencing.

"The work will also explore the idea of the States being able to develop specific types, sizes or tenures of housing that are not being delivered through private developers."

Housing market specialist arc4 Limited has been appointed to come up with a range of proposals on what the government can do to stimulate supply.

Deputy de Sausmarez said it was hoped a report of initial findings would be completed by the summer.

She said: "We are really prioritising this piece of work and we're hoping that we can get solutions up and running as quickly as possible."