Fontaine Vinery planning delay after GHA request

Some 91 homes are set to be built on the site of Fontaine Vinery

Those behind plans to build 91 homes on a former vinery have asked for a planning decision to be delayed.

An open planning meeting at which politicians were set to vote on plans from Guernsey Housing Association (GHA) for the Fontaine Vinery, in St Sampson, was set for Wednesday.

The Guernsey Planning Service told the BBC it had agreed to the delay.

CEO Victoria Slade said the main reason for requesting a delay was down to "environmental concerns".

She said she also wanted to see the result of the debate on the States' new strategic housing indicator which is set for discussion at the end of March.

'Has to be right'

Concerns about the risk of flooding at the Fontaine site were raised in 2021 by parish officials.

Mrs Slade said that was one of the considerations she would be looking at while re-assessing the current proposals.

"It's either we do this work now, or we end up going back and unpick it and do it later," she said.

Originally it was hoped that construction could start in spring 2023 with the first homes being completed by summer 2024.

However, Mrs Slade said: "We do have to do this right.

"The design has to be right, the mix has to be right, because otherwise we are not meeting need if we don't do it right the first time."

"We are working as quickly as we can. We are very conscious of the waiting lists."

The GHA provides social rented housing and homes sold as partial ownership and currently has 400 households signed up across it rental and partial ownership waiting lists.

The delay has been welcomed by St Sampson's Junior Constable Rob Gill.

He wants to see greater consideration of the local infrastructure in the development.

The current plans are for half of the homes to be one-bed apartments and the rest a mix of two-bedroom and three-bedroom houses alongside three four-bed houses.

A Planning Service spokesperson said: "Having received a request from the Guernsey Housing Association to delay the open planning meeting for Fontaine Vinery, we have agreed to postpone this.

"Once a new date has been agreed, we will publicise this in the usual way."

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