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'Vital' affordable homes 'need to be subsidised'

Harry WhiteheadGuernsey
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Peter Falla, PF+A director, says working with the States can make developments easier

Guernsey's government needs to drive a "change in approach" when it comes to building affordable homes, according to an architect.

Peter Falla, director at PF+A architects, said affordable housing was a "vital service" but needed to be "subsidised heavily".

He said social housing needed States support in the same way as the island's airline: "We realise that is not necessarily going to make a lot of profit but provides a vital service."

The housing committee has said it wants to be more directly involved in facilitating and commissioning affordable developments as part of plans to have up to 300 units built or under development before 2029's general election.

Housing president Steve Williams said: "We'll be working with the developer through a building contract that says 'we need these sorts of homes at this sort of price by these sorts of dates', we'll be controlling all that."

Williams said while the States would be more involved, it would not become a developer.

Falla said he believed the policy could work and more units could be built because of it.

"The main thing is they can drive things through if they wish and help support development where it becomes quite tricky.

"An example being the Mallard development for affordable homes in conjunction with a private developer, here were quite a lot of hurdles to overcome but with support of the States it seems those hurdles are slightly easier to jump over."

In Jersey, affording homes are built and supplied by Andium Homes, a government-owned organisation.

Housing minister Malcom Ferey said the model worked well for the island.

"Since 2014 we've had this model where there's a bit of a separation so the minister sets policy and strategic direction whereas the Andium homes and other housing providers actually work on the ground.

"Andium is still wholly owned by government but it has its own board and the benefits of that is it has the ability to conduct its own investment and to push forward with its housing projects."

Ferey said Andium was responsible for more than 5,100 homes, while Guernsey's Housing Association had 1,049.

States figures show between 2022 and 2024, just one affordable home was built in Guernsey. In Jersey, Andium built 363 in 2025 alone.

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