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From Colin Macleod, chief executive officer, the Channel Islands Co-operative Society Ltd.
WHAT Mr Cuirot (JEP, 15 February) appears not to recognise is that the Society, like any other historic building owner, has somehow to find the funds to pay for necessary repair and restoration, which in this case runs to several million pounds.
This high level of expenditure has little to do with neglect or lack of maintenance and is more related to the poor standards of construction that were prevalent in the 19th century, and the waves of ill-considered alterations to these buildings that have since occurred.
Town centre buildings of this kind can simply become worn out and once in a while they need very comprehensive refurbishment if they are to survive. Many owners of old buildings, including the States of Jersey, will be familiar with these pressures.
Mr Cuirot fails to mention that the society submitted an earlier scheme to Planning which would have restored and retained four of these historic buildings and brought them back into beneficial use as part of a broader scheme of redevelopment and regeneration on the Charing Cross site.
That scheme, which the society considered to be a reasonable compromise between heritage and regeneration aims, and which would have yielded no profit to the society, was rejected. The society has therefore had to reconsider its position.
The society takes no pleasure in proposing the loss of these historic buildings and acknowledges their architectural and historic interest. However, the society also has obligations to its membership and to the wider community to assist in the regeneration of the town and to provide employment – objectives that this scheme will help to deliver.
The society understands and respects Mr Cuirot’s opinion about the importance of the Island’s heritage, but would point out that many Islanders will place a much higher priority on securing much needed investment in jobs and in regeneration projects.
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