The Planning Committee unanimously approved an application from the Infrastructure Department to install the wooden boardwalk against the harbour wall to help create the final link of a continuous path for pedestrians and cyclists from Corbière to Havre des Pas.
Approving the application, committee chairman Constable Juliette Gallichan said that a public consultation had shown that there was clear support from the public for the move and that the new boardwalk would be well used.
Maritime historian Doug Ford had earlier objected to the plans, saying they involved attaching the boardwalk to listed structures that had been built in the 18th century and that the project would reduce the width of the slipway used to get boats into the harbour.
He added: ‘I think that the States possibly need to rethink what protection and grade a listing actually gets when it comes to the wishes of the civil service or the establishment.’
However, planning and heritage consultant Anthony Gibb, who appeared alongside a representative of the Infrastructure Department to support the application, said that listing a property or structure did not have to mean preserving it entirely as it once was.
‘The listing process is about saying that certain buildings or assets or structures are more significant than other ones that aren’t listed and special care should be taken when managing change to those structures. There is also a balance to be struck,’ Mr Gibb said.
He added that the new frame supporting the boardwalk would actually be attached to a post-war concrete structure, not the historic part of the wall. Mr Ford also said that the width of the slipway would be reduced by the boardwalk, which could cause problems for some boat owners.
‘From a boat owners’ perspective it would narrow down the useability of the slipway. When I worked at the Maritime Museum we took small boats down to the harbour that way to avoid the cost of using the crane,’ he said.
Following a question from committee member Constable Philip Le Sueur, the panel was also told that the material used to build the boardwalk would not become slippery when wet and could easily be cleaned with a sweeper, which would fit down the path.
The committee was unanimous in its support for the application, with Mrs Gallichan, Mr Le Sueur and Deputy Jeremy Maçon all in favour.
Deputy Russell Labey withdrew from the discussions, as the harbour is in his district.
