Le Ménage

A new development in the heart of St Martin’s has brought 26 new homes to the parish – and with its mix of private and partial ownership properties, it potentially paves the way for future similar developments.

Formerly known as Les Blanches, when planning permission was granted for the Le Ménage development on previously agricultural fields, it came with the condition that a certain number of properties would be allocated for partial ownership. Now those properties have been completed, with 10 two-bedroom apartments sold to people on the Guernsey Housing Association’s (GHA) waiting list. The remaining 4 apartments have also been sold, while the 12 two-bedroom houses on site should complete later this summer.

Eleanor Saunders is a director at Walter Property Limited. A family company for almost 90 years, it owns development company Vieux Moulin. She explained why the project was approached in that way: “A prerequisite of the planning covenant was not only that we would build the partial ownership properties, but that they would be completed before the rest of the site. We have therefore finished work on all of the apartments, and the new residents have moved in.”

With the apartments completed, the focus is now on the dozen houses that comprise the rest of the development. But while the ownership structure may be different between the properties, according to Eleanor, there is no difference in their outward appearance: “We’ve specifically intended for the partial ownership properties not to look different to the others. We wanted all the properties to look the same and for it to be a very inclusive community.”

That’s something that was equally important to the GHA’s chief executive, Steve Williams: “We are always aspiring to provide properties that people will look at and think ‘that’s where I would like to live’. There is an expression – tenure blind – which I think is really important. It’s the idea that nobody knows who lives behind the curtain in terms of tenure – it’s just an attractive looking property that could belong to anyone.”

In terms of looks, the aesthetic of the new development is clean and modern, but with some pops of colour to add character to the individual properties. For Eleanor, it was important to strike the right balance: “We were open to using some colour in the development, but we didn’t want to take it too far. We’ve therefore done things like giving the houses different coloured front doors and render on the gables to differentiate them, while staying within a

fairly muted colour palette. There is also some rather striking blue curtain walling on the apartment building.”

While the outside of the properties have been individualised, inside they have all been built to meet the same high standard. The GHA is renowned for insisting on very high standards of energy efficiency in its properties, and for this project the developer decided to follow the same standards for all of the apartments and houses. Steve explained why it matters so much to them: “Insulation and draught proofing is very important to us when we’re building properties. We want our homes to be really energy efficient so that residents face lower energy bills – and that’s only becoming more important at the moment. We were delighted that the developer followed our specification for the rest of the properties and I’m sure their new owners will reap the benefits of that.” Ravenscroft Construction has been the main contractor for the development. With work starting in 2019, they’ve faced a myriad of Covid-related challenges over the past two years. The island has had two lockdowns during that period, as well as the pandemic affecting their workforce and the ability to get necessary materials to the island. It has undoubtedly delayed the build, but Eleanor is still very happy with what they’ve achieved in the timeframe.

“Covid has been hugely difficult for Ravenscroft on lots of levels. Luckily, they employ a good level of staff so they do have the sub-contractors available when needed. They’ve managed to keep the project going through all the challenges and it’s amazing how well they’ve done.”

Steve agrees that the contractor has dealt well with the challenges: “Like everyone, Ravenscroft struggled with the lockdowns

The 12 houses and 4 apartments that are for private sale can only be purchased by households in which at least one member is over-55 or is classed as having a disability.

A partner or other member of the household will also be able to reside there with the qualifying resident.

The GHA properties do not have any age restriction on them; however, the purchasers did need to meet the GHA’s requirements to be entitled to access the partial ownership scheme.

and not being able to work on site. Along with many other projects they have also had real issues getting materials, and I know that glass was a particular problem. We have had delays which is to be expected, but overall I think they’ve performed really well in what’s been a really challenging time for the industry.”

While the GHA has completed a number of residential developments in the island, Walter Property has previously concentrated almost exclusively on commercial property. For Eleanor, Le Ménage has therefore been a steep learning curve, but one she says she’s enjoyed: “Walter Property has been a family company for more than 80 years, but we have recently recognised that we need to take advantage of different opportunities and do something a bit more dynamic. When we were approached with the possibility of acquiring this site we decided it was a great opportunity, and hopefully the current housing market will mean it was the right decision to make.”

That market should ensure plenty of demand for the properties, but there are limits on who can purchase them. The privately owned houses and apartments can only be bought by households where one member is over-55 or recognised as disabled. The houses have therefore been designed with long-term needs in mind.

Local architectural firm Tyrrell Dowinton Associates drew up the original plans for the previous owner of the site, but architect Andy Merrett of Lovell Ozanne has worked with the current developer to ensure they met all requirements. He explained how

they are suitable for older owners: “It was part of the planning approval that the properties would be available for over-55s, and therefore the houses have to reflect that. They all therefore have a bedroom on the ground floor with an adjoining shower room as well as the upstairs master bedroom and en-suite.

“We’ve tried to future proof the houses for their new owners, so there are level thresholds throughout the ground floor and slightly wider corridors in case wheelchair access is required.”

Aside from the practical aspects, the properties have been designed to be enjoyable to live in. It may be the first time Eleanor has led on a project like this, but she has been clear on what they should be providing: “We’ve made sure that everything is very high quality. We’ve put in really nice kitchens with finishes such as Silestone worktops. The flooring is an engineered oak and we have installed solid timber doors throughout the properties. When the new owners move in, all they need to do is choose carpets or flooring for the bedrooms and stairs.” As well as ensuring the houses are pleasurable to live in, there has been a focus on creating a community at the development. The name itself derives from the French for household, and the design has tried to encourage that, as Andy explained: “There is a lovely green area in the middle of the site which will give all residents a landscaped communal area that they can use. It also adds to the feel of the development. The properties are designed to encourage the use of the green spaces, and one of the design tweaks we made was to allow the balconies on the apartments to look out over the site.”

While all involved hope that the residents will enjoy their new homes, Eleanor hopes that they have done something even more positive for the island: “As we know, the housing market is exceedingly buoyant at the moment but many people don’t have anywhere to go. We hope that we’re filling a gap in the market and people in larger houses might look to downsize to these properties. If they do that, then that frees up other properties which are currently being underutilised, and that should be a really positive thing.”

The Le Ménage development was granted its planning permission before the current Island Development Plan (IDP) was approved in November 2016. At that time, the IDP brought in a requirement for a proportion of houses in larger developments to be allocated as affordable housing.

The ‘GP11’ requirements apply to sites containing more than 20 units of accommodation. But despite the potential to increase the island’s affordable housing stock, none have yet been built.

For GHA chief executive, Steve Williams, Le Ménage is therefore an interesting example to follow: “When planning permission was granted, this was a precursor to the GP11 sites, and it was very useful as it created a legal planning covenant regarding affordable housing. That’s now all in place so this development will be a forerunner for any GP11 sites.”

For Steve, it has been a successful development for the GHA: “We’ve had a really good working relationship with the developer and it’s gone very smoothly despite all the challenges of the past couple of years. I can certainly see us doing more of these types of joint developments and I think there are real advantages to that. We can both learn lessons from each other and improve our developments and housing – it’s positive all round. If we could find another similar development to pursue, the GHA would certainly be delighted.”

Ravenscroft Construction Lovell Ozanne Norman Piette Capelles Building Stores Valpys Swoffers WT Partnership Henderson Green