The church had planning approval granted last year – and the backing of the congregation, the parish and the Anglican Church in Jersey – to build an extension to the north of the 800-year-old building. It will house a toilet and enable disabled access. The plans also include creating a kitchen inside the church.
Nonetheless, Save Jersey’s Heritage says the approved work would ‘disfigure’ the church and it is is pushing for an alternative proposal to provide all the improvements inside the church, without the need for an extension.
Marcus Binney, president of Save Jersey’s Heritage, and a resident of St Lawrence has written to Deputy Steve Luce asking him to intervene.
In a letter sent to the minister he wrote: ‘Parishioners are hopeful that the minister will use his authority to intervene so that a compromise can be found in the public interest to avoid unnecessary damage to St Lawrence Church, and to avert the risk of permanent division and discord within the parish community.’
The groups says it has taken this course of action after St Lawrence Rector, the Rev Phil Warren, and Constable Deidre Mezbourian – who is required to sign any planning application for the church – refused to support the alternative plans.
Mrs Mezbourian and Mr Warren have denied the group’s claim. They said having considered the new proposals, and as ‘due process’ had been followed since the project began in 2013, they had the backing of the congregation and parishioners for the approved plans.
The project is out to tender with work expected to start before the end of the year.
In his letter, Mr Binney reminds Deputy Luce of Article 9 (4) of the Planning Law.
This allows the minister to accept an application without the signature of a landowner if he is satisfied that to do so would be ‘in the public interest’.
Mr Binney said: ‘What is at stake is the treatment of one of the most important and prominent parish churches in Jersey.
‘We firmly believe that Islanders – both those who live in our parish and those who visit – will also oppose this proposal once they know that a better, less costly, more pragmatic alternative is on the table.
‘All we ask is that the Planning Department gives our proposal proper consideration on its merits.’
