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‘A revised IDP needs flexibility to reflect a changing economy’

Island Development Plan: Why It Needs to be More Flexible and Adaptive

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2 Oct 2024

Andrew Merrett has spoken on behalf of Lovell Ozanne to the Guernsey Press, regarding the Island Development Plan (IDP), saying that it is already out of date despite being published less than seven years ago. Andrew Merrett believes that planning policy is immediately out of date and difficult to update, making it essential for the IDP to be more flexible and adaptive to changes in the economy.


The plan, which won’t be updated until 2025, is based on data that will already be out of date by the time it is published. This is a significant concern for Andrew Merrett, who believes that any policy needs to be flexible enough to adapt to changes in the economy. As an example, he pointed to low-value consignment relief, the EU VAT avoidance scheme that many Channel Islands companies took advantage of until its cancellation in 2012, as evidence of the inflexibility of the current IDP for certain developments.


‘We need to ask how we house everyone given the potential population growth . We will probably see higher density areas increase. There might be a shift to more multi-storey building and it’s interesting to see how that might be received.’


According to Andrew Merrett, the land made available for housing needs a root-and-branch review. He suggests that a revised IDP may see the boundaries of centres expanded and would suggest using land reclamation for housing or moving businesses to these areas to free up land. He believes that a significant shift to more multi-storey buildings may be necessary, which will be an interesting prospect for the island.


In conclusion, the current Island Development Plan on Guernsey Island needs a overhaul. Andrew Merrett from Lovell Ozanne believes that a revised IDP should be flexible enough to adapt to the changing economy and ensure that housing and businesses can coexist sustainably. By using land reclamation and expanding the boundaries of centres, and increasing the heights of buildings, the island can free up land for development. Although the revised plan may lead to higher density areas and multi-storey buildings, Andrew Merrett believes that these changes could be necessary to provide sufficient housing for everyone.’


https://guernseypress.com/news/2023/03/01/a-revised-idp-needs-flexibility-to-reflect-a-changing-economy/

Andrew Merrett believes that planning policy is immediately out of date and difficult to update, making it essential for the IDP to be more flexible and adaptive to changes in the economy.
Andrew Merrett
Andrew Merrett
Director

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