Environment
Ensure new development secures a balanced mix of homes and protects family houses
We must ensure that changes to the Island Plan deliver a mix of new or altered housing that will provide for sustainable communities in Jersey. This means supporting more houses and less reliance of apartments/flats, especially on the town fringes such as western St. Clement.
Jersey has seen a significant level of development over the past thirty years, and in a form that has changed the character and mix of living.
Comparing data from the 2001, 2011 and 2021 census’ show us the how housing supply and mix have changed.
| Year | Total Units | Total Flats | Total Houses | Flats as % of Homes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 35,563 | 14,500 | 21,063 | 40.7% |
| 2011 | 41,595 | 18,100 | 23,300 | 43.5% |
| 2021 | 44,583 | 19,730 | 24,729 | 44.3% |
Further schemes post 2021 may well have increased the proportion of flats in Jersey.
It is often argued we must build more ‘densely’ to meet our housing needs, but this assumes we want to grow our population, and also that everyone is happy with ‘apartment living’.
As someone who currently lives in a flat, I am not suggesting we don’t want or need flats as part of our housing stock. What I do think is that promoting (through our housing) that flats become the de-facto type of housing to accept in Jersey is not sustainable.
We must recognise that the demand for housing we thought existed no longer exists. Plenty of housing is approved to be built or is under construction, and our population is not growing. We can now focus on the right mix of housing.
Density Standards
In 2023 (minor revision 2025), the Environment Minister published Density Standards for development across the Built-up areas (BUA) of Jersey Density standards.
This promotes minimum density levels to ensure the ‘best use of land’. These density standards inevitably push developers towards flats, and on Planning we’ve even seen schemes in the BUA outside St. Helier that look cramped yet under the minimum density expected.
We are also seeing schemes on the town fringes that propose housing density well in excess of the minimum of 50 dwellings per hectare, with one recent scheme in a residential area mostly surrounded by terraced and semi-detached housing proposing 160 dwellings per hectare.
If we are to have density standards, they should push for lower densities than currently set. When set as a standard, the main impact should be to lower the land value given the yield will be lower, not just drive costs of developments up.
Our density standards should also consider upper limits - area specific - to ensure we don’t approve inappropriate high density schemes on sites well suited for houses or less dense living, with larger gardens, communal areas, or more parking.
Housing Mix
As part of reviewing our housing demand and the impacts on density, we should be firm in our policies to promote the retention or development of houses.
Houses come in many forms, from detached with large gardens - to tightly knit together terraces.
Houses provide gardens, are more typically suited to family living in Jersey, and provide the owner more control over their home’s feel - from extensions, modifications to repairs.
I strongly believe that a reason many young people don’t see a future in the island is they don’t want to live long-term in an apartment development. If we are serious about creating an island fit for generations, we must ensure houses form a greater part of our Island Plan, and their replacement with flats in not encouraged as much as currently.