L'ancresse work doesn't need planning permission, yet

Friday 16 February 2018

An explanation has been given after questions were asked about what exactly has been happening at L'ancresse Bay over the last week.

Work to shore up the most severely damaged part of the anti-tank wall, at L'ancresse East, is being carried out ahead of the eventual managed realignment of the bay beneath the kiosk.

The decision to realign part of the World War II structure was made after the million pound project was taken to the States for debate during the second half of 2017. 

Deputies voted by 17 to 15 in favour of removing the most damaged part of the wall, to allow sand dunes to develop, offering a more natural coastline than has been seen at L'ancresse for more than 70 years.

However, those plans are still facing heavy criticism with the co-ordinators of the Save the L'ancresse Wall Facebook page closely following developments. 

Recently, concerns were raised about digging being done half way down the beach, where it is believed groynes could be built as part of the plans for the full realignment once that gets underway. The work to realign the bay will require planning permission but nothing has been submitted to the Development and Planning Authority yet.

In response to the concerns raised on social media, the States' Agriculture, Countryside and Land Management Services team said all of the work being done on the beach at the moment is for the protection of the wall until planning permission is given for its removal. 

The statement insists nothing has been done which would require planning permission: 

“The work has entailed the formation of a rock armour protection over the existing toe of the wall, predominantly in front of panels 4 and 5. Boulders in the region of 3-4 tonnes have been used and were passed over the wall in order to reduce impact on the environment at L’Ancresse. Once on the beach a trench was dug in front of the existing toe and a layer of 4 tonne rocks placed below the beach level, on top of a geotextile membrane, to establish a secure base for the structure. The rock armour was then placed so that it interlocked to create a stable structure against the tidal forces acting upon it."

While the equipment was in place, it was decided other exploratory work could be carried out ahead of the more complex works which are planned.

The statement continued: "Work is being completed on site this week, with some site investigation work taking place while the equipment and personnel are mobilised, as well as regrading of the beach following the rock armouring."

Planning Services agrees the work currently being done on L'ancresse Bay does not require planning permission:

"It has been confirmed to us by engineers working on the beach that two holes were recently dug to assess the height of rock, and the beach was then immediately reinstated.  The rationale was that the work took advantage of the digger on site during the rock protection works and thus saved on the cost of bringing a machine down on a separate occasion.

"It appears to have generated not insignificant speculation on social media regarding whether the holes dug required planning consent. While Planning Services would not normally comment on speculation, on this occasion we felt it important to clarify that this work did not amount to development under the Planning Law."

The work to preserve the sea wall to ensure its safety before its eventual removal has overrun. ACLMs said this is due to the weather:

"Due to adverse weather conditions during the second week the project has taken a week longer than planned, however the contractor was able to reallocate their staff during this period so no additional cost was incurred.”