'I want to chain myself to my house': Les Genats tenants react to rebuild plans

Most of the properties in the estate are currently three-bedroom, but the plan is for the new build to have mix of sizes Credit: ITV Channel TV

It has been a feature of Guernsey's landscape for more than 50 years, and home to hundreds of islanders who form a close-knit community.

But it's this sense of place in Les Genats that risks being split apart by those who want to demolish and rebuild the entire estate.

Some politicians, like Deputy Peter Roffey, believe this is the only option as the site has fallen into such a dire state of disrepair.

He said: "The condition of the estate is that if we don't do something in the next few years, the whole area will need to be re-roofed at a cost of many millions of pounds."

And on Twitter, he wrote: "This project will increase the supply of affordable housing considerably.

"If we don't redevelop, millions will have to be spent on re-roofing and we can do so much better."

Clare Garnham is worried about moving her youngest child, who has special needs Credit: ITV Channel TV

Some locals, however, told ITV News, that they do not agree.

Kiri Evans described Les Genats as her family's "forever home," saying she was "gutted" and "devastated."

"I'm not moving. I want to chain myself to my house, I just don't want to move," she added.

Another resident, Samantha Wallis, fears moving somewhere else would separate her children from their friends.

She said: "We're like a community round here. We stick together, we help each other out, it's very friendly down here and we don't want to be moved somewhere where we're going to be all boxed in."

Clare Garnham is also worried about her children: "My youngest has special needs and we need to know.

"She is not going to cope, she is not going to cope if they suddenly turn around and say 'oh, we're moving you'.

"She needs to know, she needs her routine. She needs to wake up in the morning and know where she is and what she's doing."

Most of the properties in the estate are currently three-bedroom, but the plan is for the new build to have a mix of sizes.

Work on the site is to be done in phases over several years.

However, the States cannot confirm when this project will start, with some residents saying the uncertainty is adding to their anxiety.

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