House prices that are out of reach of many will force youngsters to leave, a Guernsey woman is warning.
Ellie Jones, known for being the head of the charity Liberate, but speaking to Island FM in a personal capacity, warns that the housing and income gap is making life in Guernsey unaffordable for many.
Ellie says she and her partner earn good salaries, but still can't afford a mortgage and are now having to live apart. She says that was after their rent was increased by several hundred pounds by the new property owner.
She says the white-hot housing market could have a dramatic impact on Guernsey's population:
"I know tons of people that are thinking about leaving. In fact, I hardly know anybody that's not thinking about leaving, if they don't own a property already.
We are going to have a mass exodus of people, especially younger people. I don't know how anybody working in hospitality or retail can even afford to rent over here, never mind think about purchasing a property in the future."
Ellie Jones
Her comments reflect the results of a recent Island Global Research survey into the cost of living, which received many comments about residents considering moving to the UK.
Ellie Jones says so far the market has been skewed in favour of families in the mid to high income brackets:
"We build too many bigger houses, so three or four bedroom new builds, whereas actually the houses that are needed for a lot of people are one or two bedroom apartments. So we need affordable places, there are literally zero affordable places in Guernsey at the moment."
She says people who rent need protection as well:
"We need to bring in rent controls so that there is a maximum price per square foot that somebody can charge. We need to bring in some laws to stop rent being raised above the rate of inflation, as well as not penalising people for having children or animals, we need to change that."
The States met recently to set out priorities for the coming year and housing is at, or near, the top of the list. There was agreement that it should be made easier for developers to build homes, as evidence shows that land is being "banked," possibly because of some of the stipulations around affordable housing provision in new developments.
It was also agreed to look at selling some States houses and allowing people to buy Guernsey Housing Association new builds at 25% less than the market price.
The States recently bought the old Data Park off the Route Militaire for £4.75 million, and hopes to persuade the Planning Authority to allow a change of use from industrial to enable social housing to be built.
In addition, the Co-Op has filed planning permission to redevelop Leale's Yard and the drawings include provision for 320 housing units.
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