Andium Homes, which took over responsibility for the States’ housing portfolio last year, wants to demolish the low-rise flats on Green Street and replace them with five larger complexes which will meet modern-day standards for social rented properties.
- Andium Homes is a States-owned company that acts independently to look after the Islands housing portfolio.
- Previously the Housing Department had responsibility for the administration of Jerseys social rented accommodation, affordable housing and accommodation for older Islanders, but Andium was given oversight of these area last year.
- The company manages more than 4,500 properties and provides accommodation for more than 10,000 Islanders.
- They have embarked upon a major drive to bring all States-owned housing up to the nationally recognised decent homes standard and are also creating hundreds of new homes at sites across the Island.
But last week the Planning Applications Panel rejected the proposals, saying that the project needed more ‘fine-tuning’.
Now residents have opened their doors to the JEP to show just how bad their living conditions are.
Some of the residents claim that their bedrooms are so cold and covered in so much mould that they sleep in their living rooms, and are encouraging the panel to pass the plans as soon as possible.
Hannah Whelan (37), who is part of the La Collette Residents’ Association, said: ‘The insulation is terrible. Our place is OK to heat but the damp is disgusting, especially in my children’s bedroom.
‘This is not acceptable but I have not got much choice. It gets you down.
‘We cannot afford to buy a house and I am afraid of speaking out too much.
‘The plans would be amazing. It definitely cannot come soon enough, it would be a dream.’
When asked what it was like to live at La Collette, one resident, who doesn’t want to ge named, said: ‘It is cold, it is damp. I think they need to be refurbished at least.
‘I like the area but there is no insulation and I do not even sleep in my bedroom because it is just too cold.
‘We have been left in limbo because we do not get told whether we are staying or going.’
The low-rise blocks, which are listed buildings, were built in the 1960s and contain 59 flats in total.
Under the new plans, Andium Homes want to provide 147 new homes with 214 car-parking spaces.
Karoline Weslowska (34), who lives at La Collette with her young son, said: ‘I have lived here since June last year and it is quite cold. I am cleaning constantly around the windows and the walls because of damp, so it would be great if this place was demolished.
‘A new building with new windows would be much warmer.’
Andium’s head of capital projects, David Morris, said that he anticipated that the project would go ahead, but further ‘tweaks’ needed to be made and he was hopeful that they would have a scheme ‘fairly quickly’ for the residents of La Collette.
Meanwhile, residents say they are unsure as to whether they would be able to move back into the redeveloped site, if they were relocated to temporary accommodation.
Mr Morris said: ‘What we always do is try to give residents the opportunity to return, should they want to.
‘Sometimes people set their roots up in another area and they do not want to move back, but it is difficult to guarantee that everyone will move back.’
Three panellists voted against the project – chairwoman Constable Juliette Gallichan, Deputy Jeremy Maçon and Constable Philip Le Sueur, which means that the plans will now be referred to Environment Minister Steve Luce.
THE rejection of plans to build 147 new homes on the site of a 1960s low-rise block of flats in Green Street demonstrates just how difficult these decisions are.
Neighbouring residents claimed it would create a ghetto and block out the sun, while those living in the ageing flats said that they were cold, damp and in desperate need of being replaced.
States historic buildings officer Tracey Ingle called for them to be saved as the best example of such architecture in Jersey, while planning officers recommended that the scheme be approved.
Housing Islanders in accommodation which is fit for purpose has to be the top priority. It is something which Andium homes, which now manages the States housing portfolio, is committed to achieving.
It is now up to Environment Minister Steve Luce to have the final say.
It may be that tweaks are needed to the current plans, but it would be wrong for those living in poor quality housing to be made to suffer any longer than they have to because of nimbyism and an esoteric attachment to ugly buildings.
