Thank you, Sir/Madam,
I'll start with housing delivery. As everyone will be aware, the market is still really struggling to deliver enough new homes to meet the island's rapidly growing population. To help unlock potential private sector housing developments that aren't progressing, we have been meeting with landowners, developers and architects going literally site-by-site, focusing on developments that could provide ten or more units so we can understand the specific barriers to housebuilding on each individual plot, as well as how, more generally, development might be facilitated. These meetings have been extremely productive, and we have more scheduled, including this week. Issues raised include access to financing, landowner price expectations, building costs and the costs for testing and clearing brownfield sites, as well as the responsiveness of the planning process - although I'll add there's also been a great deal of praise from the industry for our planners and particularly the Director of Planning. They don't always get the credit they deserve so I want to take this opportunity to put it on the record. Depending on the type of barriers, we anticipate that these conversations will lead to bespoke support to help unlock sites that otherwise may not progress fast enough or indeed at all.
Members will of course be aware that there are two housing items on today's agenda - the Open Market Part A Inscriptions Policy and housing standards legislation: both have a crucial role to play, each in its own way, in stabilising Guernsey's housing market. We'll soon be submitting proposals to strengthen the rights and obligations of private landlords and tenants - another key piece of work to support our private rental sector, which is home to more than a quarter of Guernsey households, so touches a lot of lives.
We've now got some really good data and insights around the specific barriers people in Guernsey face to downsizing, which helps to inform the ways we can best support people looking to do so. Bearing in mind that there is such a pronounced mismatch between the sizes of homes that some households need compared with the size of home they currently live in, helping people to right size more easily is a really important avenue to reducing the number of new homes the market is struggling to deliver.
We're also working with the charity At Home in Guernsey to quantify the extent of homelessness in the island and best support the accommodation requirements of people who are homeless or at risk of becoming so. It's worth reiterating that homelessness isn't just about housing: so often, factors beyond the bricks and mortar also play a critical role, such as stable employment and freedom from addiction or domestic abuse.
Working in support of the DPA, the planning inquiry into the DPA's proposed amendments to the Island Development Plan was reopened last month. I'd also like to take the opportunity to thank officers in Traffic & Highway Services who processed a large number of potential new housing sites at short notice at the request of the DPA, following the first phase of the consultation and the reassessment of the options.
Separately, the Committee has overseen the completion of the recent planning inquiry into a proposed Local Planning Brief for the Harbour Action Areas of St Peter Port and St Sampson.
Members will be aware of the flood assessment study for the Bridge area that accompanied the Local Planning Brief proposals and that flood prevention in the area is a critical facilitator for the development of key housing sites in the area. I'm pleased to report that the St Sampson Enabling Flood Defence project is moving forward. Funding was approved for a first phase of flood design options to be produced and we are in the middle of a competitive tender process for commission of this critical piece of infrastructure.
In July of last year, this Assembly endorsed proposals to provide better protections for the islands' animals, both wild and domestic, by strengthening and modernising Guernsey's animal welfare legislation. These legislative upgrades were long overdue, emanating from extant Resolutions from 2003, and I'm delighted that two of the three Ordinances required to bring the Assembly's July decisions to fruition are laid before the States today - the Animal Welfare (Amendment) (Guernsey) Ordinance, 2025 and the Veterinary Surgery and Animal Welfare (Amendment) Ordinance, 2025.
Whilst animal protection is important in its own right (and I know that many islanders share this view), these legislative modernisations also support Guernsey's Free Trade Agreements and the international Conventions to which we are a party, many of which include commitments to animal protection. This is especially important following the UK's departure from the EU.
The States Veterinary Office is currently consulting with businesses that aren't already covered under The Animal Welfare (Guernsey) Ordinance of 2012 such as professional dog-walkers, groomers and pet-sitters on a proportionate licencing scheme so that pet owners can be assured that these newer animal services also meet the relevant standards. Members of the public can take part in that consultation by completing the survey on gov.gg, open until 18th March. It's had excellent engagement so far.
The Committee has also welcomed the fantastic community response to help explore ways to keep the diving platform in place at the Ladies' Pool. With the valuable, considered input of the working group, we've made good progress: the HSE has now agreed to our proposed approach, which means - should the works achieve the safety standard we are aiming for - the diving platform can then be reopened. We'd like to thank and commend the working group for their detailed contributions and the HSE for their openness to finding a mutually agreeable pragmatic solution. The Committee is in the process of assessing the extent of work required, which may lead to a financial bid to deliver works to further improve the pool on top of the work done in 2022, so that this much-loved swimming facility can continue to be used safely by locals and visitors alike.
The Committee was heartened by the level of support for the island's dairy farms, as expressed in the debate and the voting on our revised policy. We believe it will provide the foundations for a bright future for the industry where the community can continue to benefit from its high-quality products and an increase in those wider 'public goods' as well. The debate was the culmination of a lot of hard work by the Committee in reaction to the economic impacts on the industry in 2022, so it was particularly pleasing to hear from the farmers listening to the debate that the Assembly's comments increased their confidence in the future.
Protecting our marine environment is important not only for those wishing to swim and kayak but also for economic reasons as well such as oyster production, fishing, and tourism. We have recently completed work with stakeholders to develop a Marine Biosecurity Plan for Guernsey. The plan, which will be launched in the coming months, aims to protect our blue economy from the threats of introducing pests, diseases, and invasive non-native species.
A policy letter on the Strategic Future Use of Les Vardes Quarry will be lodged in the next week or so which proposes a positive solution for the Island and provides much needed clarity for the Island's plans for water storage and inert waste disposal. It's been a collaborative process working with relevant stakeholders, including the Guernsey Development Agency to support the work that they are doing too.
Another policy letter on the near horizon looks at how Guernsey can best meet its international obligations with respect to net zero - particularly relevant of course to the Paris Agreement, which is now extended to us in our own right. The policy proposals have been developed through close consultation with industry and other stakeholders, and the Committee has been rigorous in assessing all options through the lens of what will improve affordability and/or quality of life for people in Guernsey.
One of the most significant ways we can keep future cost of living pressures in check is through the effective implementation of our Electricity Strategy. This work is progressing well across a range of different areas, including with respect to some interesting innovative energy technologies.
Speaking of clean energy, we'll also be submitting a policy letter on the establishment of an Offshore Renewable Energy Commission - a piece of work directed through the Electricity Strategy resolutions which is a critical part of enabling progress on offshore wind.
Another important enabling factor in that respect is the development of a Marine Spatial Plan (not to be confused with the aforementioned Marine Biosecurity Plan), which will support not just offshore renewable aspirations but also other facets of the blue economy such as fishing, tourism, leisure and the protection of the marine environment. We're currently building the evidence base that will underpin the MSP.
The coastal infrastructure team has continued the important work necessary to maintain and upgrade our sea defences over the past year with the valuable support of local stonemasons. I am delighted to report that the continuous engineering inspections of the coastline have highlighted that the defences are now in a better condition than seen for many years, which is testament to our proactive strategy. Inevitably nature is unpredictable, and we have seen the need to respond to unexpected breaches over the past year and we thank the public for their patience when this has caused disruption to traffic.
Five significant capital projects were completed last year, within budget, with the most notable being the reinstatement of the Clarence Battery steps. These have also been recently enhanced with the help of Guernsey Arts and a local poet, using both English and Guernaisiase. For those that haven't yet done so, it's definitely worth the effort to climb the steps!
The Coastal Defence Strategy, which has been in place since 2016, is proving successful, so the plan is for it to continue. Options for mitigating the flood risk identified in any of the highest risk areas will also be considered as part of that process. Because of the success of the recent years' repointing programme, focus is moving more towards detailed inspections of key parts of the coastal infrastructure leading to a more proactive programme of work to minimise the risks of failures.
As in previous years the Alderney Breakwater has required more of the team's resources than any other project, predominantly in the repair and maintenance of its current condition both above and below the sea-line. An audit was also undertaken during the year to assist in the management of risks to those working on the breakwater and also members of the public wishing to use it for a range of purposes. The findings of that audit will be combined with longer-term strategy, in partnership with Alderney, to develop the most effective approach to funding and supporting the teams undertaking the work.
The Committee delivers a great deal of infrastructure that often gets overlooked, and much of that is delivered by Traffic & Highway Services. As part of the 2024 annual road resurfacing programme, for example, 11.33 km of road were resurfaced and patched, and 2.5km of footway were resurfaced and improved.
The Committee is delighted to confirm that bus passenger figures continue to remain high with over 1,800,000 journeys undertaken in 2024. January of 2025 (which is the latest figure we have available) saw 122,334 passenger journeys, nearly reaching the pre-pandemic levels for the same month. As we approach the final few weeks of the current bus provider's operation, the Committee would like to thank CT Plus and their parent company Tower Transit for their continued dedication to Guernsey's operation and support with handing over to the next provider, Stagecoach.
The Committee has been closely involved in the development of a Strategic Framework for several housing allocations within the North of the island, led by the Committee for Employment & Social Security, which aims to create a "well-connected place" for current and future residents. This builds on the Better Transport Plan and looks at how those sites can be developed comprehensively, with infrastructure which joins the sites wherever possible.
The Committee has been working with colleagues in Home Affairs to address the issue of Road Traffic and Driver Offences. This work investigated matters including the provision and use of data, speeding, vehicle standards, noisy vehicles and systems used to collect and respond to offences. The Committee is pleased to confirm that an assessment of data collected and held by the States of Guernsey has begun as a result of this work, and the creation of a data improvement plan will follow. Both the Committee and colleagues in the Committee for Home Affairs agreed a package of measures to address the issue of noisy vehicles, the policy letter for which is being developed by Home Affairs.
Members will know that one of the Committee's priorities this political term has been to progress the introduction of Periodic Technical Inspections, which is a requirement of the Vienna Convention. A proportionate approach for Guernsey has been developed and following an extremely successful industry workshop towards the end of 2024, further work has been done with industry in relation to costs. The analysis of the latest industry feedback, specifically covering costs and capacity levels, and the recommendations from this will be shared by officers with the Committee for consideration in the coming weeks.
We'll also soon be submitting a policy letter recommending changes to the D1 category of driving licences, which we hope can be debated in this political term. While it's not an issue that affects lots of people, the changes we're recommending will make a big difference to the voluntary sector, for whom the current legislation creates a barrier.
So, that's a whistle stop tour of the main areas of progress since our last update, and I look forward to any questions.