30 January 2009
Senator Freddie Cohen, the Minister for Planning and Environment, is responsible for protecting Jersey ’s special buildings and places. It is important that there is an understanding of how and why this is undertaken, and the Minister has issued guidance which sets this out.
It is hoped that this will be of benefit to owners, architects, agents and others involved in working with and caring for Jersey’s historic built environment.
The Minister for Planning and Environment is under an obligation to make sure that all of the Island's special buildings and places of architectural, archaeological, historical or other relevant interest are identified and
protected.
To do this, the Minister maintains the Historic Buildings Register, which contains details of all of these sites: it defines where they are and what makes them special.
To be included on the Register, buildings and places of architectural, archaeological, historical or other interest need to satisfy a number of criteria, established by the Minister (these are set out in the guidance).
Because of change, there is a need to ensure that the Register's content remains up-to-date and robust. In deciding whether or not to add, maintain or remove a building or site from the Register, the Minister for Planning and Environment seeks the advice of Jersey Heritage.
Jersey Heritage is able to provide professional and independent advice to the Minister about what makes a building or place special: it is able to expertly assess the history, architecture and archaeology of a site, and to judge this against the Minister's own criteria for designation. Jersey Heritage undertakes independent assessments and makes recommendations about designation to the Minister.
The Minister can also seek other expert views, and the Minister ensures that this happens by requiring Jersey Heritage to consider the views of a group of local people who are knowledgeable about the Island's history, architecture and archaeology (the Ministerial Registration and Listing Advisory Group: MRLAG) before presenting its recommendations, together with the views of MRLAG, to the Minister. Other expertise, such as that of English Heritage specialists in particular building types, will also be sought, where necessary.
Before the Minister decides whether to add or remove a building or place from the Register, the Minister will also consult owners, and provide them with an opportunity to make their views known to him about whether their building warrants designation.
Supplementary Planning Guidance: practice note
The identification and designation of buildings and places of
architectural, archaeological, historical or other interest (November 2008)
gov.je