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land for the rural economy. The Green Zone is precious. The Council of Ministers thinks it’s extremely important that Jersey keeps its brown cows in green fields. Once land gets development permission it’s rare for it to be returned to farming. I don’t want to lose it, develop it, or build on it. On the contrary, I want to see more protection of our landscape and our unique biodiversity. That doesn't mean no building outside St Helier but it does mean fewer exceptions to the policy of not building in the Green Zone.
Recently I think our team has done better in this respect. More planning applications are being challenged and our countryside is being protected in the Green Zone. At the same time, I urge the agricultural community not to leave land fallow or waste our own resources. I have asked my officers to continue prioritising work to ensure we are maximising the amount of agricultural land which can be used commercially.
Another part of the solution is making use of the buildings we already have. Should sheds,
barns or shops be left empty for long periods? If our Employment Land policy is applied sensibly, it should ensure we have a sufficient stock of land and buildings to support
economic activity in the countryside. In some cases, where their economic use is no longer needed or viable, there might be a case for allowing the change of use of a building to get the best return from the asset, and to take pressure off the Green Zone.
I am keen that we convert, adapt, change and modify, helping us make use of all empty or underused structures before rezoning any more green, open, community or amenity land for building. These proposals will, in some cases challenge the Island Plan. The Island Plan is indeed our Planning bible but sometimes we need it to work better for us. Quite often what appear to be simple and sensible solutions are the most difficult to achieve. It will be difficult to keep consistency across different sites but we must try.
And finally, staying with the issue of land use,
we’ve made progress on the green house initiative I launched last year. We’ve identified a number of derelict sites that have been allowed to fall into disrepair and are now a real blot on the landscape. They were built before any planning laws were in place. We’ve been in contact with the owners and I hope they know I mean to deliver change. I recognise that for the scheme to be
successful there must be something in it for the owners. If we can get an environmental benefit for the Island, maybe return some land to agriculture whilst finding a way to help the landowners, then it will be a worthwhile exercise.
The key, in all of this, is recognising that Jersey is a small and beautiful Island with significant assets and opportunities and that we need to make the best use of all our existing resources to balance the use of the countryside for everyone’s benefit.
Germbusters
• We offer kerbside recycling in 4 parishes: St. Lawrence • St. Mary • St. John • Trinity
Our service offers you the opportunity to contribute to the island's recycling.
• We have refuse collections in 6 parishes: St. Lawrence • St. Mary • St. John • St. Martin • Trinity • Grouville
W aste Management Les Hougues Farm,
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Telephone: 01534 869918 Email:
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20/20 - The Environment
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