Deputy Susie Pinel said she did not like ‘the overuse’ of the word ‘crisis’ and said the latest House Price Index, which showed the average cost of a home in Jersey had risen by more than £100,000 in the past year, was a ‘very challenging situation’.
Speaking at a Chamber of Commerce lunch last week, Deputy Pinel said the housing situation in the Island was not as bad as in India and Africa.
When asked if she had changed her stance following the release of the latest House Price Index, she said: ‘I acknowledge that the current housing situation is a very important issue for both government and Islanders but, personally, I do not like the overuse of the word “crisis”. I genuinely believe that it is a very challenging situation, which is the subject of a debate in the States Assembly next week in relation to specific future sites.
‘It should be noted that the government is continuing to respond to this challenge. Andium has a pipeline to build 3,000 affordable properties by 2030 and 1,800 of these are already under way. The Bridging Island Plan is also looking to release more sites for housing.’
The latest figures show that the average price of a home in Jersey has reached an all-time high of £634,000, having climbed by more than £1,900 a week since the same time last year (£533,000).
For the first time, the average cost of a three-bedroom family house has risen above £800,000, meaning a couple on average earnings in Jersey would have to borrow nine times their combined salary if they put down a £40,000 mortgage.
Assistant Treasury Minister Lindsay Ash has defended Deputy Pinel’s comments, saying that he shared her view.
He said the Island had a ‘big problem’ with housing but that it was ‘not a crisis like in places like Calcutta’.
Responding to criticism from JEP columnist Ollie Taylor on Twitter yesterday, Deputy Ash said: ‘Your problem, along with the rest of the Jersey Left, is you continually tell people what a terrible place Jersey is to live and the vast majority won’t believe you, so you throw in words like “crisis” and they still don’t believe you… basically because Jersey is a nice place to live.’
