TRINITY parishioners showed up in force this week to express their views and concerns on proposals for 30 homes adjoining the Eric Young Orchid Foundation in Victoria Village.
Plans and accompanying visuals were on view at a consultation on Thursday 24 April at the parish hall. The information event was organised by Castletree Homes, which is hoping to go ahead with the development in conjunction with Ashbe Construction.
They are aiming to submit a planning application towards the end of June for 22 houses and eight apartments on the site of La Ruette and its large garden at Rue du Moulin de Ponterrin. These would provide ten homes with one bedroom, seven with two bedrooms, three with three bedrooms and ten with four bedrooms.
Jeffrey Worthington, managing director of the Castletree Group, explained that the intention was to reconstruct the existing house on the same footprint, arguing it was in a poor state and it had been extended several times over the years. An adjoining granite building would be retained but its interior would be totally renewed to meet modern living requirements, according to proposals.
Other homes would be new build. All houses would have gardens and there would be a sizeable communal area with landscaping making use of the existing pond. A children’s play area would also be included.
Among the concerns raised by parishioners was the increase in traffic on a narrow lane and insufficient parking as the site was not within close walking distance of any amenities and it was not possible to rely on buses. The plans allocate one space for one- and two-bedroom homes and two spaces for three- and four-bedroom homes, one of which would be a garage. Mr Worthington pointed out that this was the regulated Planning quota so he could not provide more spaces even if he wanted to.
He added that provision had also been made for six visitor spaces, electric charging points and bike racks and said that the intention would be to revise the vehicle access and to create a new pedestrian access.
Another parishioner was worried about whether the area’s infrastructure could cope with the development especially the sewage, revealing that there have been collapses of the tarmac in the village area this week over a mains water connection and a sewage connection.
Addressing this concern, Mr Worthington said that this had been considered and the intention would be to upgrade facilities at the Trinity pumping station. When asked where flood water would flow, he said this would be directed to the pond and improvements would be made to the drainage system.
Regarding a query about the height of the buildings, Mr Worthington said this would not be excessive as no home would be more than two-storeys. It was also intended that they would blend with the surrounding dwellings with external finishes of granite, render, brick detail and timber. He added that eco-friendly, energy-saving features such as solar panels were also being considered for the development.
