Outline planning permission granted for Leale's Yard development 

On 16 November 2022, the Open Planning Meeting was held for the proposed development of Leale's Yard in Guernsey.

The plans for Leale's Yard include over 320 new homes, a multi-storey car park, more than 120,000 square ft of new commercial space and a supermarket on the site which covers about 7.5 acres (three hectares).

It's also the first development in the Channel Islands to include the use of large-scale modular accommodation, which it is anticipated will be advantageous in terms of both speed and cost.

At the meeting, the Development & Planning Authority (DPA) voted unanimously to approve the application with a few modifications to the existing conditions. These included:

- Clarification on the design for access to the public highways.

- Making the hours of operation for a number of the units a reserved matter to be further considered at a later date.

- A review of the design of the green spaces.

As part of the planning process, a number of letters of representation were received by the DPA from stakeholders and members of the public, some of whom also spoke at the meeting.

Some of the key issues raised, included:

- The fact that the proposed development overlooked a neighbouring property.

- The narrow width of Nocq Road.

- Proposed hours of operation.

- Quantity of affordable housing under Policy GP11.

Policy GP11 is the planning policy which requires all planning applications for over 20 units of accommodation to provide up to 30 per cent of developable land for affordable housing purposes through the Guernsey Housing Association.