Good morning,
I’m pleased to be able to update the Assembly on the work of the Committee for Housing. As the assembly will be aware, the Committee was newly created this July. We’ve been busy getting to grips with our role and responsibilities and understanding how it connects with other Committees and third sector organisations, in addition to the usual and expected learning curve that opens all new political terms. However, I’m pleased to say that this has progressed well, and I now have several updates to share with you today.
The first is an update on the Guernsey Housing Plan. This plan was created in 2023 by the Committee for Environment and Infrastructure, and a number of actions have already been completed. Many more are underway and other workstreams have been marked to commence at a later date. Having reviewed progress on the plan, the Committee for Housing has completed an initial re-prioritisation. We still have several people to consult with before a formal document can be published. So I am somewhat limited in what I can publicly say, but I don’t believe I’m going to surprise anyone when I tell you that the delivery of new homes is this Committee’s number one priority. To be clear, when I say new homes, I mean every kind, not just social housing, not just rented accommodation, not just specialised housing. We want the States to help to deliver all it can, and we also want to support the private sector to deliver all it can.
The focus of the revised Guernsey Housing Plan is intended to be a re-prioritisation and will build on work done so far. The most recent Island Development Plan monitoring report publicised last week showed that the number of homes under construction sits at the highest level since 2020, with currently more than 350 homes being built. The Committee wants this to increase. Indeed, we need it to increase to meet the housing needs of the public desperately seeking homes they can afford. The latest statistics show a positive trend that we intend, excuse the pun, to build on. The recent changes to Part A of the Open Market are a good example of how we can do this. As a reminder to the Assembly, those changes included means for properties to be inscribed on Part A of the Register, in circumstances where it could be shown that the Inscription would make the development of local market housing financially viable.
It is our expectation that the Guernsey Housing Plan will be one of the workstreams prioritised in the forthcoming Government Work Plan, and it is our hope that significant major capital can be allocated to allow the States to facilitate the development of as much affordable housing as possible. Capital funding earmarked for housing from last term has been spent, or pledged to known projects in development such as the Charroterrie Tyres site. So any further Government backed housing development will need fresh funding allocated to it.
Another matter that I wish to update the Assembly on is that the Committee has resolved for each Member to focus on specific areas that we wish to drive forward.
For my own part, I will be leading on Housing Delivery. We have deliberately chosen not to divide private housing and affordable housing. While affordable housing is important and we intend to work in collaboration with the GHA and the Policy & Resources Committee on the development of more; the island needs housing of all kinds and this focus reflects that. It also signals opportunities for multiple types of housing to co-exist in shared communities.
As part of this role I am sitting with Deputy de Sausmarez and Deputy Gabriel on a political oversight group reviewing the progress on the Leale’s yard site. This site and the other nearby sites in the north will, by nature of their size take time to develop, but it is very important to the Committee that these large projects progress as swiftly as possible this term.
Deputy Kazantseva-Miller will lead on our engagement with the construction industry. Given our stated priority of development, we need to ensure that the industry is supported and functioning smoothly, specifically in relation to housing. Supply chains, labour supply and skills all come into play. It is important the Committee taps into this and understands pinch points before they occur, so we can work to resolve issues in collaboration with other stakeholder Committees.
Deputy Dorrity will be leading in respect of the Private Rental Market. As you’ll know earlier this year new Housing Standards legislation was brought into force. This is a great platform to ensure our housing stock is of fair quality and will protect the health and wellbeing of Islanders. Equally the Committee understands the significant value of the private rental sector, and the need to ensure rental property delivers reasonable returns. Which is why the Committee was pleased to see the removal of the additional document duty rate in the recent budget. The Committee are currently looking at further work that can be done to protect the interests of both tenants and landlords and intend to bring proposals to the States in the early part of 2026.
Deputy Collins is to be our lead on Homelessness, and shares responsibility for finance with Deputy Humphries. In respect of homelessness, we are currently engaging with the third sector on the development of a homelessness strategy. One of the earliest identified issues is a lack of data about the scale of the issue. We know there have been an increasing number of people who have found themselves homeless or in a precarious housing situation, but this is principally anecdotal. We have very little data about the demographics of the need, and the solution must fit the need, things like gender, household composition, health factors, and indeed the root causes of their situation will all help target a response. We don’t want to find ourselves collecting statistics rather than taking action, but by working with At Home In Guernsey to build this data set as a first action, we can use it to help inform the development of the strategy and ensure efforts and resources are targeted where they are most needed. Deputies will have also seen that the Committee for Housing has this week assumed responsibility for the services delivered at St Julian’s House. This in turn will have a role to play in the homelessness strategy.
Deputy Humphries will act as our lead for first time buyers and share responsibility for finance as previously mentioned. The recent budget debate brought an amendment on the subject of first-time buyers and we are keen to work with the Policy & Resources Committee to deliver on that for the 2027 budget. The finance focus will also link to other workstreams. For instance, there are workstreams in place to explore how modern methods of construction can be deployed on island. Understanding the financing that can be accessed will be important in shaping development plans.
Returning if I may to housing delivery, I’d like to update you on an important piece of work that has progressed significantly early in this term. In direct response to proposals raised by construction and development industry representatives, the Committee is finalising a Housing Site Availability Framework.
This Framework brings together information about all housing sites in one place. This includes those allocated for housing in the IDP, sites which have applied for or received planning permission for housing and sites that are under construction. It sets out the key steps in the development process and shows where each site currently sits on that journey. This will give both the States of Guernsey and industry the same, shared view of expected progress over a five-year period.
The tool has been designed to be jointly owned and will operate as a live document, updated regularly by both Government and industry stakeholders. It is designed to support better planning, earlier identification of delays, and clearer understanding of how we will move from land identified in the IDP to the delivery of homes that meet our housing needs identified by the States Strategic Housing Indicator.
We have already met with industry representatives to gather initial feedback, and I am pleased to report that the Framework was received very positively. It has now been circulated for final comments ahead of a formal rollout, and we are encouraged by the strong collaborative spirit behind this work.
Another example of a pragmatic, though perhaps not glamourous area that the Committee has been exploring is the ability to make better use of empty dower units. At present there are restrictions on renting out these units. As such habitable spaces are being underused. The Development & Planning Authority and our Committee are very keen to see this work progressed to make this accommodation lettable. A step that would unlock accommodation already in place and provide a much-needed roof in the short term. Data is limited on these kinds of units, and we cannot be sure what the uptake will be if approved. But these shorter simple measures are one way we can relieve some pressure while work develops on longer term, more impactful measures. The DPA are consulting various parties before anything can formally change on the use of empty dower units, but it is so far looking positive.
In this early part of the term, the Committee has been laying the foundations of what I hope will be measures to ease the housing pressures in Guernsey. With a significant increase in new homes and a path toward development programmes that go some way to meeting the island's needs.
There is no overnight quick fix to our housing shortage, but this Committee will be doing everything feasible to help islanders as swiftly as we are able.
That concludes my speech madam.