The challenges facing owners of Jersey's listed buildings

La Ronde Porte is a listed building gifted in a will to the National Trust

Jersey is home to thousands of listed buildings, some privately-owned and some that belong to the government or other authorities.

Owners ultimately have responsibility for maintaining them, but it is not always clear cut.

Charles Alluto, CEO of National Trust for Jersey, said the cost of having to keep buildings in good repair can be a "challenge" for all owners.

Examples include La Ronde Porte, La Folie inn and the Odeon Cinema.

Deputy Montfort Tadier recently raised a question in the States about this very issue.

The former Odeon Cinema building was built in 1952

He was referring specifically to the Odeon Cinema in St Helier, a privately-owned listed building, which is, outwardly, in a very bad state of repair.

He said he thought it showed Jersey in a very bad light to locals and tourists alike, and something should be done.

He said: "Really, there are two mechanisms in the law which should be called into force in this kind of situation.

"You can call it a carrot and a stick, if you like.

"The first is that there should be a fund available, and the minster can make grants available. The problem is that fund has been cut and has been since 2011."

'No magic bullet'

Deputy Jonathan Renouf, Minister of Environment, said he recognised its loss - he said it fell victim to spending cuts, as a lot of things did, but pointed out that there was a huge amount of demand for investment in capital projects, and the money available to spend was limited.

He said: "It's something that may be worth thinking about again; but I don't think it's something where the magic bullet is going to be millions and millions of government money."

If financial support is the carrot, then there is also a stick - some way of forcing private owners to keep listed buildings in a good state of repair.

There is no law currently to do that, and the States may be reticent to move on that, given its own track record.

The former St Saviour's Hospital site is in disrepair

Mr Alluto pointed to several States-owned buildings that were in a very bad state of repair.

He said: "It's really difficult to say to the private sector it should look after its listed buildings if you're not doing that yourself, and we've seen some key sites - St Saviour's Hospital, for example, which has been allowed to go into disrepair.

"La Folie has been an eyesore for a long time and there has been lots of talk about masterplans, but that doesn't stop you doing interim works - at the very least it should make sure that all of its buildings are in a good state of repair and wind and watertight."

La Folie is a historical inn, part of Harbours' estate, which has been empty and unused for more than 20 years.

Nothing has been done with the building in all that time and it is, to all intents and purposes, crumbling.

'Almost redeveloped'

Deputy Renouf said he recognised that was not a good thing that Jersey had important buildings that were not in good condition and had been empty for a long time; but he said La Folie was a special case.

He said: "Well, certainly we know that there are some States buildings which have been caught in a cycle of almost being redeveloped, and that causes a problem when that "almost" goes on for many years; and that's certainly the case with La Folie - but we do know that there are plans for La Folie and the area around it."

Questions have been raised once again this week in the States about La Folie - what the status of its redevelopment might be and what it might be used for.

There was also a suggestion that the intention may have been - for this and other sites - to allow the property to get to such a state that there was no historical value left and demolishing it would be the only way forward.

Deputy Renouf replied that was absolutely not the case, and his aim would be to see it renovated and used.

The Folie Inn has been empty since it closed in 2004

In the meantime, Jersey Heritage has been tasked with drawing up a "heritage at risk register", which the government said would give it a better idea of the scale of the problem and the different ways it might tackle it.

That initiative was put in place several years ago and is still a work in progress.

Nevertheless, Mr Alluto said he saw its value, but added that the States had to go further.

"It's not about naming and shaming; it's saying these buildings deserve some care," he said.

"The States as a whole has to have a policy that says: 'We want to look after our heritage, we'll show you how it's done, and we'll help you as well,' and it's that proactive willingness to do something positive that we need."

Meanwhile, the Odeon Cinema, listed because of its "national significance" to Jersey and the UK, stands in a prominent position in St Helier and, while it is not falling down, it certainly looks very tatty on the outside.

Its owner, Freedom Church, said it had already done extensive repairs and would continue to do so, and all that was funded by ordinary Jersey residents.

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