As well as being a site of great interest in its own right, it offers superb views over the sea towards the Paternoster reef, Sark and Guernsey.
Unfortunately, the headland has for many years been blighted by the decaying remains of what was once Pontin’s Holiday Camp. The camp’s assortment of angular buildings was never remotely attractive, but in its present dilapidated and vandalised state it is a major blot on the landscape and an utter disgrace in an Island which prides itself on the quality of its environment.
To be fair, the present owner of the site, Trevor Hemmings, would dearly like to do something about this state of affairs. He and his architects have come up with schemes for residential development and, more recently, for 73 self-catered tourist chalets.
Planning are currently considering the application for the chalets – which, if built, would amount to a bizarre echo of what was on the site during its holiday camp heyday. The merits of the proposal will, of course, be examined carefully, but it is difficult to appreciate how the new scheme would differ materially from the residential use previously envisaged but rejected.
Increasingly, it would appear that the National Trust for Jersey has in mind the only truly acceptable future for the Plémont headland. Quite simply, its view is that the States should purchase the site and that it should be allowed to revert to a more natural condition.
A 10,000-signature petition and a States decision backing the idea that this special area should be allowed to ‘go back to nature’ indicate that the trust is far from out of step with public or political behaviour in its desire to see a precious addition to the Island’s unspoiled open spaces.
In addition, a wild as opposed to a developed headland would clearly be to the advantage of wildlife on and adjacent to the site. Natural heath instead of development would not necessarily remove all human pressure on the puffin colony on the cliffs below, but tranquillity rather than a busy holiday centre would surely improve its chances of survival.
The problem, as is so often the case, is money. In the present economic climate, government has to guard the purse strings with great care. That said, price is only one of the factors to be taken into account if a real chance arises to protect such a valuable asset for future generations.
