L'Ancresse Wall NOT to be listed as protected monument

Tuesday 26 June 2018

The Development & Planning Authority has decided the L'Ancresse anti-tank wall will not be added to the protected monuments list.

The Authority considered the legislation and the criteria for protection and agreed that the L'Ancresse Wall did not qualify for the statutory protection.

This all comes as islanders continue to attempt to protect the wall ahead of plans from Environment & Infrastructure to bring a portion of it down and allow a natural beach to form. 

The latest of these moves was to apply for its listing.

The decision from E&I has been hotly contested since its announcement, and has seen a number of protests, particularly in the light of how the plans could see the small East Side kiosk demolished. Several local campaigns have been run, with many taking to social media to have their voices heard:

But while in reaching its decision as whether to list the wall or not, the Authority recognised there was a high historic interest given its origins as a purpose-built occupation-era defensive structure, it decided in other relevant respects (archaeological, traditional, artistic) its interest is low.

Overall the Authority concluded that the level of interest was insufficiently special to justify protection of the anti-tank wall as a protected monument.   

A monument can be protected as a result of its breadth of special interest, for example it could have a wide range of relatively low interest (archaeological, historic, traditional, artistic or other special interest), but the cumulative breadth of interest makes the monument worthy of protection.

Special Controls in relation to protected monuments are set out in section 29 of The Land Planning and Development (Guernsey) Law, 2005.  Section 29 of the Law states:

“The Committee shall prepare, maintain and keep under review a list, to be known as “the protected monuments list”, of such monuments, structures, artefacts, caves, ruins or remains (whether on or below the surface of any land) as in its opinion should, as a matter of public importance, be preserved by reason of their archaeological, historic, traditional, artistic or other special interest.”

A monument can, however, also be protected because of a single special interest, but this would have to be, at least, of a very high interest to justify protection as a monument.

This is because the Law imposes significant constraints on development and a high bar has to be set to ensure protection for monuments is proportionate and properly reflects the special interest required for such statutory designation.

One of the first protests that took place saw ribbons tied to fencing around the wall - it was headed by the tenants of the kiosk, who have since given up their lease. The kiosk is being opened one final time this summer by new tenants.

The work to demolish the part of the wall is not set to take place until 2019 "at the earliest", but it will see around one sixth of the wall removed, at the east end, and two rock groynes installed.

A natural set of sand dunes is planned to replace the wall, somewhat behind its current level.

More recently, some remedial work took place on the section to ensure it stayed standing until work began. It saw rock armour placed along the wall, and while some argue that it should be extended along the wall, official plans still stand for it to be temporary.