Opportunity for islanders to have their say on two major planning projects this year

The first project is the focused review of the Island Development Plan (IDP), which will include the development of affordable housing, housing sites and land for offices, industry and storage. Policy GP11, which currently requires housing developments of 20 or more units to provide a proportion of affordable housing, will also be reviewed as part of this.

The Development & Planning Authority (DPA) is also identifying options to streamline the process for amending the IDP in the future. This is to ensure the IDP can be adapted more readily to changes in Government priorities and changing demands.

The second project is the preparation of a Local Planning Brief for the St Peter Port and St Sampson’s Harbour Action Areas. These are areas which have significant potential for inward investment to enhance and promote wider social, economic and environmental objectives. The Local Planning Brief will set out the policies that all developments in these areas must comply with. Once approved by the States, the Local Planning Brief will form part of the IDP.

Both projects are required to follow a set process, including an independent planning inspector’s inquiry, with opportunities for members of the public to have their say on the proposals.

The draft changes to the IDP are expected to be published in June this year. Those who made a submission to the earlier Call for Sites consultation will see the results of this in the supporting evidence documents which will be published at the same time. The independent inspector’s inquiry for the review will begin immediately after these draft changes are published. This will give islanders the opportunity to make representations on any aspect of the IDP review, including the Call for Sites, to the inspector. There will then be a period where counter representations can be made, and a public hearing. This process should be completed by the end of November so the final recommendations can be prepared and put before the States Assembly and agreed this political term. During this whole period, the DPA will be publicising its draft changes through the media, social media, gov.gg and at drop-in events to help islanders understand what is being considered, and how they can submit their views.

For the Local Planning Brief, there will be three opportunities for members of the public to provide comment. Firstly, there will be some initial high-level consultation for members of the public to provide input into, which is anticipated to take place in March and April.

Following this, it is anticipated that a first draft Local Planning Brief will be published for public consultation in August, which will enable the DPA to ensure that the guidance in the Local Planning Brief is robust and sufficiently captures the views of key stakeholders and the public prior to the inquiry. After this it is expected that a final draft Local Planning Brief will be published in September and a separate independent inspector’s inquiry will be held. This will provide another opportunity for people to make representations on the published draft Local Planning Brief, and then a period for counter representations, and a public hearing.

Deputy Victoria Oliver, President of the Development & Planning Authority, said: “This year is a very important year for our Committee as we progress these two crucial projects. They are not just crucial for our Committee, but for our island as a whole. The focused review of the Island Development Plan and the preparation of a Local Planning Brief will have a significant impact on future decisions on housing, our infrastructure and our environment.

“We’re conscious that these two processes overlap in terms of timing, and so there will be points in the year when we may find we’re trying to explain both to the community. Unfortunately, that’s unavoidable if we’re to complete these pieces of work this term, which is our aim. But we want to make both of these processes clear and understandable, and avoid creating confusion by the fact they’re running in parallel. That’s one of the reasons for this announcement today, to give people early notice about how and when the two processes will take place.”