New accessible homes plans are insane - residents

Plans to build nearly 60 accessible homes on half a field behind a school in Jersey are "insane", critics of the scheme say.

Following a States decision in 2022 to re-zone the field near Haute Vallée Secondary School in St Helier to provide accessible accommodation, developer Dandara has submitted plans for 59 homes for people with disabilities, additional medical needs or who are over the age of 55.

Nearby residents close to the planned single point of access said they were worried about safety if the development went ahead because one road was "already very dangerous".

Dandara said the plans aimed to "create a community where people of all ages and abilities can belong and thrive".

The western half of the field has been reserved for the school's future needs, such as turning it into playing fields.

Dandara's planning application for a mixture of two and three-bedroom homes, and 20 additional apartments, was published in February.

Since then, more than 50 people, including Jane Reed and Alison Marshall, who both live next to the field on St John's Road, have submitted comments raising concerns.

Reed said the road was "already very dangerous, it's already very busy".

She said: "We have very narrow pavements here, we've got granite walls on either side - none of that can really be changed or affected. Schoolchildren use it every day.

"To add another junction to that, with additional traffic from 60 or so dwellings, is completely insane."

Marshall said she has been contacted by people from every Jersey parish who had issues with the plans.

She said many of them had fears about access to the new hospital at Overdale, less than half-a-mile away (0.8km) from the development.

She said: "These roads in front of us are named to be protected for traffic for the new acute hospital. Particularly people from the north are concerned because this is the only access way for emergency services."

Marshall also has concerns with the sale plan for the properties.

Dandara has agreed a "last-resort" sale plan with the housing minister where, if the homes are not bought by disabled people or people over the age of 55 within six months, they will be advertised to first-time buyers for six months before being put on the open market.

Marshall said: "This development is not meant to be a catch-all and fulfil whatever housing stock the island feels is missing. It's for the disabled, so I would expect the marketing plan to also be that way."

CEO of disability support charity Enable Jersey Sean Pontin said he had spoken to disabled people and said it was a "real mixed bag" whether people thought the homes were a good idea.

He said: "Some people will think it's a good development, some people will think it's something that they want to consider."

He also has raised questions about the affordability of the homes.

He said: "Generally, households with somebody with a disability in actually are on the lower end of the financial scale, so actually creating new homes that might be, what, £600k, £800k, if that's what they're going to be, might be a barrier too far."

Pontin arranged consultation sessions between Dandara and disabled islanders but said these happened quite late in the process.

He said: "If you're going to develop something that works for people with disabilities, involve them from the outset.

"Don't involve them once you've spent lots of time and lots of money developing plans and saying we've got this great idea, actually ask them from the outset."

In a statement, Dandara Jersey managing director Alex McEwan said: "Dandara is delighted to put forward this exciting development for a site that has been designated by the States Assembly for much-needed homes in St Helier.

"The scheme has been shaped over several years through extensive engagement with residents, charities, carers, politicians, government departments and the adjacent school.

"The proposals deliver high-quality, fully accessible homes that exceed current standards, alongside a central community hub designed to foster independence, inclusion and community connection."

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