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A decision made (26/06/2007) regarding: Le Clos du Coleron, Le Chemin des Creux, St. Brelade - Removal from Historic Buildings Register.

Subject:	Le Clos du Coleron, Le Chemin des Creux, St. Brelade
Decision ref:	MD-PE-2007-0148	Exempt clause(s):		None
Type of report:	Written and oral	Report file ref:		BR0359
Person giving report (if oral): Roger Hills, Curator of Historic Buildings, JHT
Written report – author: Roger Hills, Curator of Historic Buildings, JHT
Written Report Title: Assessment of Le Clos du Coleron, Le Chemin de Creux, St Brelade
Decision(s): The Minister for Planning and Environment determined that on the basis of the available evidence, Le Clos du Coleron does not warrant inclusion in the Historic Buildings Register
Reason(s) for decision: Le Clos du Coleron does not meet the selection criteria set out in the Interim Policies for the Conservation of Historic Buildings or satisfy the guidance which states that after 1920 ‘only a small number of buildings of exemplary architectural quality, or great historical interest will be appropriate for registration.’
Action required: · Notify the owner · Notify Development Control · Update the Historic Buildings Register
Signature: (Minister/ Assistant Minister)			Date of Decision: 26 June 2007

Le Clos du Coleron, Le Chemin des Creux, St. Brelade - Removal from Historic Buildings Register.

JERSEY HERITAGE TRUST

Le Clos du Coleron, Le Chemin de Creux, St Brelade

This report has been prepared by the Jersey Heritage Trust as part of its responsibility under a Service Level Agreement to provide reports and recommendations to the Minister for Planning and Environment on the registration of historic buildings and sites.

At its meeting on 14 May 2007, a member of the Ministerial Registration and Listing Advisory Group, on behalf of the National Trust for Jersey, requested that the architectural, historical and other interests of Le Clos du Coleron be assessed at the group’s next meeting.

Author of report: Roger Hills BA(Hons) MA DipBldgCons (RICS) IHBC Curator of Historic Buildings

Date of report: 18 June 2007

File ref: BR0359

Relevant interests of the site (also see assessment form)

The notable architect Arthur Grayson designed Le Clos du Coleron in the 1950s. The house has a carefully considered design with echoes of a Mediterranean villa, with features such as shallow arched openings, a recessed balcony and entrance porch, and a roof lantern. The house occupies a prime position above St Brelade’s Parish Church overlooking the bay.

Advice received (MRLAG or others)

Le Clos du Coleron was not included in the first Historic Buildings Register published in 1992, and was not considered for registration by the Jersey Building Heritage Sub-Committee when it reviewed 20th century buildings in 2000.

The JHT carried out an external inspection of the site on 30 May 2007 and MRLAG was shown a PowerPoint display of the site at its meeting on 11 June 2007.

The member who proposed that Le Clos du Coleron be reviewed for possible inclusion on the Register argued that the house is one of the best examples of 1950s architecture in Jersey, with fine architectural touches.

There was a lack of support for registration from the vast majority of other members who remained unconvinced of the significance of the building. Members debated whether Le Clos du Coleron is one of the best examples of this type of building in Jersey or if there are many others like it in the Island. It was acknowledged that it is unknown if the house was one of the first post-war houses in this particular style that others have subsequently copied. The majority of members agreed that the house does not appear to be as innovative and progressive as those designed by Grayson in the 1930s – most notably the International Style houses such as Les Lumieres, Greencourt and White Lodge.

The group debated whether more insight would be gained if it were understood where Le Clos du Coleron sits in relation to other post-war houses, and whether establishing English Heritage’s approach to post-war houses would be beneficial in this case.

Following the meeting, the JHT forwarded photographs of Le Clos du Coleron to Peter Smith at English Heritage and asked for his preliminary views on the building. Mr Smith is a Listings Inspector with special responsibility for post-war buildings, who carried out a survey of 20th century buildings in Jersey for the JBH Sub-Committee in 2000. Mr Smith’s initial advice (based on the photographs) was that Le Clos du Coleron does not appear to be of any great interest, “a quite nice example of the more traditional style which was still being produced in the post-war period - but I don't think it is interesting enough to warrant further investigation.”

The member of MRLAG proposing the protection of the building has been given the opportunity to provide a further argument in favour of the building but nothing has been forthcoming to date.

JHT recommendation

Le Clos du Coleron was designed by the locally well-known architect, Arthur Grayson, and the house appears to retain its original form and a high proportion of the original fabric. However, the architectural and historical interest of the house remains unproven and there seem insufficient grounds to justify the inclusion of Le Clos du Coleron on the Historic Buildings Register or to commit resources to commissioning further reports on this case.

Justification relating to criteria

It is proposed that Le Clos du Coleron does not meet the selection criteria set out in the Interim Policies for the Conservation of Historic Buildings or satisfy the guidance which states that after 1920, ‘Only a small number of buildings of exemplary architectural quality, or great historical interest will be appropriate for registration.’

Attachments

 Location plan

 Assessment form and photographs, May 2007