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Hedge funds needed
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As National Trust for Jersey chief executive Charles Alluto has said, the increasing size of agricultural machinery and the changing scale of agricultural activity mean that the walls, banks and hedges that make our lanes so special are under assault. No deliberate effort is being made to undercut banks or harm overhanging trees, but wider, higher vehicles negotiating narrow thoroughfares are bound to cause physical damage.
It is unreasonable to expect a general return to the farming practices of the past – or, indeed, to expect the use of other categories of large vehicles to be halted. The answer to protecting our lanes, their granite walls and the wildlife that thrives in banks and hedgerows must, therefore, be the application of some tender loving care.
The National Trust’s Scenic Lane Competition already encourages parishes to take pride in their byways, but, as Mr Alluto suggests, pride alone will not be sufficient to secure the future of what amounts to an Island treasure. A programme of remedial work is necessary and that will require funding.
The support of the Constables has already been sought and some novel ideas advanced to provide money and labour. Among these are proposals to widen the scope of branchage fines to include damage to trees, banks and walls, and to employ those serving terms of probation or fulfilling community service orders as a workforce.
There could also be scope to encourage volunteers to help maintain our lanes. Working parties are often organised to clean beaches and to grub out invasive alien plants. It is likely that similar enthusiasm would be shown for restoring roadside walls and re-laying hedges.
That said, it is unlikely that this element of Island heritage can receive the level of attention that it merits without the use of public money. This is, of course, a difficult time to make request for funds, but a compelling case can be made for spending now, not only to avoid even higher expenditure in the future but also to check the damage before it becomes irreparable.
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