L'Ancresse East Kiosk gets another year

Tuesday 06 November 2018

L'Ancresse's popular beach kiosk is likely to remain open for one more year, as nothing will be happening to the crumbling wall before the end of 2019 at the earliest now.

Additional requirements in the planning process to take down a portion of the L'Ancresse East anti-tank wall means the work will probably not start until the third quarter of next year.

A planning application for the construction of the two groyne structures and the removal of 130m of the wall was submitted this week to the DPA.

But even before that, it had been decided that an Environmental Impact Assessment would need to be carried out before the development could go ahead. So now, the planning authority will decide what "scope" is needed in that assessment, which will then be carried out. 

The application itself won't be considered until that Impact Assessment is received and reviewed, and at that point, the Planning Authority said it would make the application documents public. Before that though, it does intend to release a statement on the EIA itself.

With the delay in the planned timeframe of the work, L'Ancresse East Kiosk will still be able to open again in summer 2019, with the current leaseholder expected to carry on with her business for another year.

The kiosk itself is marked for demolition to allow the work to go ahead. It is built directly behind the part of the wall which is being brought down. But when plans to close it were first announced, they were met with public outrage, with a protest staged and a campaign being started to "save the kiosk".

Pictured: People tied ribbons to a piece of construction fencing outside of the kiosk in an act of protest against the decision. 

Despite that however, plans proceeded, and the former tenants stepped back from the business. A new tenant took it on for the summer of 2018 as a one year project, and she may be able to return in 2019 with this new time frame. Express has so far been unable to contact the tenant to confirm her intentions. 

A spokesperson for Environment and Infrastructure said: "As it is not possible to predict at the present time what the scope of the EIA will be, it is not possible to provide a start date for works, assuming the application is approved.

"That said it is estimated that works could start in the final quarter of 2019. This of course being subject to the approval of funding and planning approval.

"Officers have been working with Property Services regarding the kiosk, and we a pleased to announce that the agreement has been reached for the kiosk concession to continue for a further year as we do not expect work to commence until the autumn 2019."

Despite plans to remove this kiosk, the States have made it known it could be on the cards for a new building, with toilet facilities, to be built in what is currently the higher carpark. This could also include a new kiosk.

Pictured: The L'Ancresse East kiosk.