Affordable homes for local people
Young people should not have to leave the Island because they cannot afford a home.
The existing First Time Buyers Scheme and affordable housing requirements have not delivered enough genuinely affordable homes.
Government needs to become more proactive.
I will support:
- Releasing suitable Government-owned brownfield sites for housing.
- Developing attractive mews-style terraces and townhouses.
- Shared-equity and lower-cost starter homes.
- A Build Your Own Home scheme on serviced brownfield plots.
- Encouraging banks to release mortgage funding as construction milestones are completed.
- Reforming the house-buying process to give buyers greater certainty.
- Making the electronic Land Registry deliver the improvements promised.
- Ensuring social housing is properly maintained.
- Faster planning decisions, with straightforward applications normally determined within three months.
If elected I will introduce two pieces of legislation:
- Firstly, dealing with empty and derelict residential properties.
- Secondly, legislation to prevent speculative purchases of residential property by off-Island companies.
Housing policy should help local people put down roots – not line the pockets of developers and increase property values.