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Fields rezoned for housing so far by States Members have the potential to provide 375 homes - 225 fewer than a target agreed by politicians.
However, the number of homes approved is far closer to a target initially set by the Environment Minister before planning inspectors recommended that it should be raised.
Earlier in the Bridging Island Plan (BIP) debate – a two-week sitting which will set planning policy for the next three years – States Members agreed to set an overall new housing target of 4,300 homes, including 1,650 affordable homes, of which 600 should be built on rezoned fields.
These supply targets were updated by Deputy John Young after the inspectors who reviewed the BIP, said that there needed to be a greater margin, or degree of flexibility, between expected demand and supply.
This raised the target of 450 homes by 150 to 600 affordable homes by rezoning.
By this original criteria, the BIP is 75 homes short of its target.
The supply of homes over the next five years has been agreed at 4,075. This still exceeds the 4,000-home expected demand but by a smaller margin than the inspectors recommended.
More affordable homes are also likely to be provided following the Assembly’s acceptance of an amendment by Senator Sam Mezec which says that 15% of homes in developments of over 50 units must be for the provision of assisted purchase homes.
In addition to the 375 homes that will be in the green zone, States Members have also agreed that a field close to Haute Vallée school will be rezoned, but specifically for people with disabilities.
Today, the Assembly rejected an amendment by Senator Sam Mezec to introduce a binding policy to the BIP that every residential development on Government-owned land shall be 100% affordable homes unless it can be clearly proven that the development would be unviable if it went ahead on that basis.
Instead, Members approved a watered-down version of it, from Deputy Young, which said that affordable homes would be built "unless it has been otherwise approved that the development needs to specifically provide open market homes, particularly where this is required to ensure the viability of public realm and community infrastructure delivery".
An amendment by St. Martin Deputy Steve Luce to rezone a field in St. Martin for rented parish over-55 homes, was approved by 30 votes to 9. Field MN489 butts up to existing retirement homes off La Longue Rue.
Members also unanimously approved the drafting of a 'masterplan' for Five Oaks, which will engage the public to establish how the area in St. Saviour will be developed in the future, including possible cycle paths and walkways to schools.
The housing section of the lengthy BIP debate is coming to a close with a debate around the extent of building allowed outside of the ‘built-up area’, which has been prompted by an amendment by Senator Kristina Moore and another by the Environment Minister.
Non-housing debates to come include whether a field close to La Gigoulande Quarry in St. Peter’s Valley should be ‘safeguarded’ for mineral extraction and whether Warwick Farm should be designated as a ‘St. Helier Country Park’.
The BIP will only become policy when the whole plan, as amended, is approved at the end of the sitting, which is scheduled for the end of this week.
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