FOCUS: How many empty homes does Jersey have? And can we revive them?

Thursday 12 October 2023

Islanders were urged to report any vacant properties in poor condition as part of a plan to tackle the housing crisis earlier this year – and the results are in, with a large number of historic and public buildings featuring on the list.

The Empty Homes Service forms part of Housing Minister Deputy David Warr’s 'Action on Vacant Properties' plan – a 35-page document released last year that outlined objectives designed to tackle the problem of empty homes in the island.

It enabled islanders to log the location of homes they believe to be vacant by emailing or calling the service, or by reporting it online.

So, how many empty homes have been found so far?

The report says the service received a "strong public response" following its launch in January, with 260 cases being reported in the first six months.

This represents 29% of the 900 homes that Deputy Warr's department has previously estimated to be truly vacant in Jersey.

Of the 260 reported cases, 100 – relating to 132 individual properties – have been subject to a "high-level" review to determine what can be done to help bring them back into use.

Of those, 36 homes are considered to be "in such a condition that is causing serious harm to the character and quality of the environment", and have been referred to Environment Minister Jonathan Renouf for consideration.

Additionally, 38 of the 100 cases have been identified as homes that have been brought back into use, are being actively marketed, or are currently being refurbished "with a view to being brought back to the market". 

Does this include listed buildings?

Over a third (38) of the 100 case reviews involve properties with a listed heritage status.

Of those, 17 have also been found to have no recent planning history, which the report states indicates "no active interest or attempt to undertake works to these properties, that may otherwise support them coming back into use".

Pictured: A total of 36 homes have so far been referred to Environment Minister Jonathan Renouf for consideration.

Of the 21 properties reviewed that do have recent planning history, 15 have received planning permission, two have been refused permission, two are pending permission, and two applications have been withdrawn.

Because of this, the report concludes it is "reasonable" to suggest that there is no evidence that difficulties in obtaining planning permission is a "principal cause" for these properties remaining vacant.

What about Government-owned properties?

The Empty Homes Service has worked with Jersey Property Holdings (JPH) to obtain the details of all empty homes that are in the direct ownership of the States of Jersey, which falls under the responsibility of Infrastructure Minister Tom Binet.

A total of 20 JPH-managed properties have been identified as currently empty, 14 of which are associated with the development of plans for new hospital facilities.

The report states: "The use of these homes has remained under constant review since they were acquired, having regard to the progress of the new healthcare facilities project, the condition of the dwellings and public service housing requirements.

"Seven of the properties are currently occupied or in use. The six other units identified under public ownership include four which are being considered for refurbishment or sale, one which will be subject to wider site redevelopment plans and one which is associated with educational use."

Where are they?

The report notes that there are "hot spots" of properties being logged via the Empty Homes Service.

These areas include the north and west of St Helier, as well as "clusters" of homes in St Peter and along the south coast of the Island.

Pictured: The location of all properties reported to the service so far.

The report also notes that, relative to the findings of the 2021 Census, the proportion of empty homes reported to the service is "broadly consistent" with the location of properties that were identified as being empty on Census Day.

However, St Ouen and St Peter both show "notably higher rates of reporting", with their rates differing from the Census by 7.2% and 11.2% respectively.

Pictured: A graph showing the proportionality of homes being reported against the most recent Census data.

Writing in the foreword of the report, Deputy Warr said: "I believe we have a moral duty to ensure as many homes as possible are available for islanders to live in. We must not forget that we are a small island, and we simply can’t afford to not make best use of the homes we already have.

He continued: "What continues to concern me, is the level of complacency we have seen over the decades, which has allowed this problem to grow whilst perfectly good homes have been left to rot; losing our heritage and causing harm to the quality of our built environment."

Pictured: Deputy Warr said Jersey "can’t afford to not make best use of the homes we already have".

Deputy Warr also said it was "becoming clearer" that the island's current legal frameworks and guidance "aren’t up to the standard needed to avoid these situations arising".

"This isn’t about fundamentally changing individual property rights in Jersey, but instead making sure we have proportionate and fair mechanisms in place to more effectively deal with the issue. I have real concern for our inability to know whether the owner of an empty home – or any other home for that matter – is resident in Jersey.

"This is an issue that has been raised many times before, and one that I want to raise again. I am also interested in the operation of our Wills and Succession Law, the registration of wills and relationship to stamp duty and the process of establishing distant heirs when a property is left intestate," he added.