At the trust’s AGM on Friday, objectors to a planned £1.5 million restoration of Morel Farm, in St Lawrence, attempted to remove the council.
The trust has submitted two planning applications – one to change the use of the main house into self-catering accommodation and another to convert a former potato store, known as ‘the chapel’, into a one-bedroom self-catering apartment. The cost would be met by the Fiscal Stimulus Fund.
The plans sparked anger among some members, who said that the work would see the ‘unique farmstead lost to the Island forever’.
National Trust for Jersey chief executive Charles Alluto said: ‘Following legal advice, the trust notified members at its AGM that the motion was not compatible with the trust’s rules and regulations 2020 and therefore was not eligible for a vote.
However, the trust did allow the proposer to speak about his motion and explain his concerns regarding the Morel Farm project.
‘Whilst the trust is happy to enter constructive dialogue with the neighbours of Morel Farm, it is indeed very regrettable that a number of people decided to recently join the trust as a means of wilfully seeking to remove its administrative structure in order to further their objections to a concept which has not even reached the planning stage.
‘Moving forward, the trust sincerely hopes that the objectors will positively engage
and work with the trust so that a sustainable future can be achieved for Morel Farm, which not only benefits the parishioners of St Lawrence but equally the Island as a whole.
‘Finally, the secretary would like to wholeheartedly thank everyone who took time to attend the AGM as a means of voicing their support for the ongoing conservation work of the trust.’
