From Chris Whitworth.
SINCE my previous letter in July and the JEP focus on St Juste, one of Jersey’s last remaining Or née cottages in the grounds of the Merton Hotel, I have had various interesting and knowledgeable people contact me regarding this historical gem.
During January 2006, I wrote to Senator Cohen to ask that St Juste be included as an SSI due to its significant and important historical value. The building was then accessed by the Jersey Heritage Advisory Panel on 13 March 2006 and considered by the Curator of Historic Buildings at the Jersey Heritage Trust, before St Juste was included on the Historic Buildings Register.
Surprisingly, a mere three months after reading in the JEP that the property is to be saved, I was disappointed to receive a letter from the Planning Department stating that an application to demolish three walls to the east elevation of St Juste was being considered.
Even more curious is the way in which St Juste (P/2006/0636) and La Fantaisie (P/2007/1427) are both to be considered as item 2 on the agenda with no mention of proposals for La Fantaisie included.
One has to wonder if the Planning Department is controlled by developers these days; otherwise why else would they even consider doing deals with listed buildings?
I recently recall a UK contractor asking me if Jersey even had a Planning Department when we were discussing the Island’s recent developments. Consequently, with the States looking to save money here, there and everywhere, do we really need such an expensive and inadequate Planning Department?
The preservation of this 200-year-old octagonal building now lies in the hands of our Planning and Environment Minister Senator Cohen, when he considers this matter at an open public meeting on 23 October in the Members’ Room at La Société Jeriaise.
After the recent Line in the Sand demonstration, Senator Cohen stated that he was very keen on exceptional architecture – so as this fact was stated in the report prepared by the Paul Drury Partnership in 2005 regarding St Juste, I expect Senator Cohen to make the right decision this week and prevent one of Jersey’s last remaining octagonal buildings becoming the Pentagon.
