PLANNERS and politicians are considering the new States Strategic Land Use Plan as a ‘subtle evolution’ in the island’s planning structure.

The States will debate the proposals from the Policy Council, brought via its Strategic Land Planning Group, next week after the first fundamental review of the States Strategic Land Use Plan for more than 20 years.

SLPG chairman Bernard Flouquet said that the proposals represented a subtle shift from the 1990 strategy, which sought to halt the spread of suburbia and concentrate development in the urban area of St Peter Port and the east coast of St Sampson’s.

‘The need to protect what is special about the island remains an important factor as does the need to use resources wisely on a small island,’ he said.

The key principles remain with the important distinction of a slight relaxation of development for homes and businesses around identified ‘local centres’, with the intention of promoting sustainable local centres as real communities.

‘It’s not radical change, it’s a subtle evolution towards more flexibility in the way we’re looking at the overall picture of the island,’ said Deputy Flouquet.

‘There is no stone we haven’t turned over, but Guernsey Tomorrow showed that people didn’t want radical change, and the SLUP reflects that.’

Deputy Flouquet said that a key message was that a greater level of flexibility was required in the planning process in certain cases.

Now the SLPG will oversee the Environment Department’s interpretation of the land use plan, both in drawing up its island development plan or plans (it is thought that the Urban Area and Rural Area Plans may be replaced by a single Island Plan).

As a result, change will not be immediate. The plans will take time to be drawn up. Deputy Flouquet said that he would not expect much change in land use planning for three years or so. ‘Things will gradually change from there’, he said.

• James Falla looks at the future of retail in a further report in the Guernsey Press