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Both of Grouville’s elected representatives have confirmed that they will not take part in two key debates about whether to build housing on certain fields in their parish due to family ties.
The parish is next month set to be the front line of the island-wide 'Countryside vs Homes' battle when debate over the ‘Bridging Island Plan’ (BIP) gets underway in the States Chamber.
Around a dozen fields in Grouville are now in contention, although the Environment Minister had originally only put one forward.
St. Helier's Deputy Scott Wickenden has proposed two clusters of fields for affordable homes on behalf of the landowners.
One is close to the corner of where the Inner Road meets Grande Route de Sablons, which is owned by Fauvic Nurseries. The other group of fields is within 100m of G392A, which was the only field earmarked for affordable homes by the Environment Minister in his first draft of the three-year Island Plan.
This second cluster is owned by a family member of Deputy Labey, who has confirmed that she will be withdrawing from that part of the debate and making her position clear before it begins.
However, she will be arguing before the States Chamber that the Minister's choice – field G392A – should not be developed.
Pictured: Grouville's two elected representatives, Constable Le Maistre and Deputy Labey, will not be taking part in two separate debates about fields in their parish.
She believes that the "BIP process has got it wrong" because the field is "in active agricultural use and its loss is not supported by the Jersey Farmers Union."
Yesterday, however, JFU President Peter Le Maistre moved to clarify the industry's position.
He commented: "The JFU does not support building on any green fields; however, in order to help with the housing crisis, we have tried to persuade the Environment Minister, his officers and others to only develop green fields as a last resort and to take the fields which are least important to the industry.
"Field G392A is one such field."
Deputy Labey also said that the field is still used to grow Jersey Royals and building on it would deprive the public of views because the roadside is one of the few spaces not fronted by ribbon-development along Grande Route des Sablons.
Pictured: Jersey Farmers Union President Peter Le Maistre.
St. Martin's Deputy Steve Luce, meanwhile, says he was asked by the Constable to put forward two fields close to G392A for homes (G355 and G358A).
These would be dependent on G392A being approved, otherwise it would constitute inappropriate standalone development, he said.
This means he would likely withdraw his amendment if Deputy Labey's was successful, he added.
Grouville Constable John Le Maistre has said one of his brothers owns one of the fields proposed by Deputy Luce, so he will be withdrawing from that particular debate.
The Constable has also proposed fields for development in the parish, which are behind the Co-op and the existing development on the former De La Mare Nurseries site.
CLICK TO ENLARGE: Some of the fields (circled) proposed for development in Grouville.
Campaign group Environmental Grouville is opposing all attempts to develop on green fields in the parish, citing loss of habitats as well as what they see as the unsuitability of the proposed sites, particularly when it comes to their impact on drainage.
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