Parishioners overwhelmingly reject building homes on Grouville fields

Friday 11 March 2022

Grouville parishioners overwhelmingly rejected proposals to build homes on fields at a packed meeting last night.

Around 250 people filled the Parish Hall and the Parish Church opposite to voice their objection to various plans and amendments contained in the Bridging Island Plan, which States Members will begin to debate next week.

The Parish Assembly had been called by means of a requête – an ancient device allowing parishioners themselves to initiate a meeting if they have 10 or more signatures. 

Written by former Bailiff Sir Philip Bailihache, the requête requested that the Constable, John Le Maistre, relay to the States Assembly the parish’s strong objections to proposals to build on fields on environmental and other grounds, including concerns about drainage and traffic.

It also asked Mr Le Maistre to withdraw his own amendment seeking to rezone a field close to Grouville Marsh and request that he voice the parish’s support for another amendment, by Deputy Carolyn Labey, that a field by Verona Stores, this time proposed for housing by the Environment Minister, is removed from the BIP.

Another cluster of fields that had been earmarked for development, owned by Deputy Labey, were withdrawn from the requête after their proposer, St Helier Deputy Scott Wickenden, agreed not to put them forward to the BIP.

Pictured: Some of the fields earmarked for housing in Grouville, although the bottom three have now been withdrawn.

In the first draft of the BIP, just one field had been put forward for development but in January this increased to 12 when States Members lodged amendments.

Addressing the Parish Assembly, Sir Philip said he accepted there was a requirement to find sites for affordable housing but it needed to be balanced with “the equally pressing need to protect our fragile environment”.

“The situation for our young people is dire and we have to help, and I accept that some fields need to be built on," he said. "The question is 'where?', and the answer is 'not in the wrong place'.

“We need to look at holistically at an island as a whole. It is not a zero-sum game in which parishes have to provide an equal number of fields. We need to ask 'what will cause least environmental damage in our crowded island?'”

Deputy Labey also addressed the Assembly. She said the past week had been “hugely difficult for me and extended family” but she no longer owned any field that featured in the BIP and she would play a full part in the debate.

She explained why she was seeking the withdrawal of field ‘G392A’ by Verona Stores, which she said was regularly farmed and would constitute over-development in the area if built on.

However, she added that 40% of parishioners were aged 70 or over and it was important that young people could afford to live in Grouville.

Pictured: Parishioner and environmentalist Bob Tompkins addresses the Assembly.

One of the few voices in support of building on G392A was Jersey Farmers Union President and parishioner Peter Le Maistre, who said that the union had taken the pragmatic stance of accepting that some agricultural land would be lost to housing, therefore it was important that only the least productive fields were taken.

G392A was one of those fields, he said. 

“It has been oversown to attract birds, but we can put in winter feeding for birds in other fields,” he added. “It is unrealistic that the parish cannot give up one field for affordable homes.”

A number of other parishioners, however, stood to argue that the fields formed important green corridors and habitats for species, including the endangered common eel, which lived in streams and drainage ditches.

Several people said that the Government had failed to control the population and the environment was the victim of ministers’ inaction.

“If a field is taken for housing, it never returns,” said Sarah Howard, which prompted widespread applause. 

At the end of the meeting, a mass of raised hands both in the hall and church indicated clear support for all items on the requête, which included one requesting that Mr Le Maistre pass on the concerns of parishioners about the process of the BIP, and in particular their dissatisfaction with the shortness of time available for parishioners to consider carefully the amendments lodged in relation to Grouville. 

However, six people were against the Constable withdrawing his own amendment proposing building on field 'G234' close to Grouville Marsh, and 19 voted against calling for the withdrawal of G392A from the BIP.

After the meeting, Mr Le Maistre said he would reflect on the Parish Assembly’s decisions, although said he was disappointed that parishioners had not supported building any affordable homes in Grouville.

Referring to pulling his own amendment, he said: "I will have to do some soul searching over the weekend because, if I do follow the will of this assembly, I will have to tell the people who desperately need these homes."