Green fields to give way to housing?

Green fields to give way to housing?

During a live question-and-answer session on Facebook, Senator Sam Mézec said the Island had to accept that ‘difficult choices need to be made’.

And the minister said establishing a proper population policy was vital, adding that a Guernsey model of allowing skilled workers into the Island to fill specific jobs but only for a set period of time was an ‘interesting policy’.

Jersey’s population soared last year by 1,200, taking the estimated total number of residents to 106,800. The latest Future Housing Needs survey outlined a requirement of an additional 2,750 homes by 2021 to meet housing demand estimates.

Speaking online, Senator Mézec said a population policy was needed so he could establish the future need in Jersey for homes.

Asked by Environment Minister John Young, who was watching the online Q&A, about building on greenfield sites, Senator Mézec said: ‘I don’t like the idea of it. I don’t think anyone likes the idea of building on green fields, but if our population is going up we will have to do it.

‘We can improve space in town by building high. I am not against building high as long as it is done tastefully and done with decent amenity space and open spaces are provided as well. I think that is naturally going to happen no matter what population policy we pick. I am eagerly awaiting what the Population Policy Development Board is going to say, because I think we have to have a better work-permit system to control what skills we are bringing to the Island.

‘I don’t want to go to greenfield sites. I would prefer to go to sites we can develop properly and where we don’t have to lose agricultural fields, but I don’t rule it out. We all have to accept that difficult choices need to be made.’

The 2011 Island Plan states there ‘may be a justifiable need of some limited, small-scale residential development on greenfield land’.

Last summer, Chief Minister John Le Fondré announced that he wanted to delay a debate on a new population policy for Jersey which proposed work permits and tougher criminal background checks, saying that more consultation was required and that the outcome of Brexit needed to be taken into account.

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