Warning over future 'rabbit hutches'-sized homes

The minimum home size in Jersey could get smaller as the government reviews housing standards.

Currently, the minimum space standard for a one-bedroom apartment is 43sq m (465sq ft), compared with 37sq m (400sq ft) in England. People have been asked for feedback about changing the policy, which politicians said they hoped would give greater flexibility for "more affordable" homes.

What smaller size homes could be has not been specified, but Planning Minister Sir Mark Boleat said: "We want to say you've got an option of sharing but also you've got the option of having your own very small unit."

Reform Jersey has warned against an unsuitable "glut of properties" the size of "rabbit hutches".

As part of the Common Strategic Policy, Sir Mark said he was looking at ideas that could reform planning policies to address "housing quality, affordability and supply".

However, Lindsay Feltham, co-leader of Reform Jersey, said: "What we need to avoid is where we've got a glut of properties that are just not suitable for people to live in.

"We don't want an island full of rabbit hutches that people can't live in comfortably and that ultimately people find difficult to sell on if they buy it as an affordable first property."

Jeremy Rossignol, founder and managing director of Le Rossignol Estate Agents, said: "If they can be constructed for a lower cost and the savings get passed onto the buyers, then it's great - in theory.

"But you also need to be mindful of all of the other smaller one-bed flats on the market - there's an abundance of those."

The results of the consultation, closing on Wednesday, would be reviewed and any change to policy could be announced by the end of the year, housing leaders said.

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