Michel Le Troquer also said that he believed too many seats had been placed at Archirondel and that alternative options to the benches needed to be sought.
His comments followed those of Charles Alluto, chief executive of the National Trust for Jersey, who is worried that the benches risk altering the character of a number of the Island’s beauty spots.
Mr Le Troquer said: ‘I agree with many of the comments being made. I understand there are a lot of donations down at Archirondel, but it is not parish land and we do not give permission for benches to be put there.
‘I am delighted to accept donations of benches for the parish green but I think we have now reached a limit.’
However, the Constable said that he was happy to accept donations of trees and allow people to dedicate them to deceased loved ones.
‘A lady recently donated a willow tree for a very damp area of land at the back of the parish green which is really nice. They tend to grow well in wet areas,’ he said.
‘We do not want a forest there but there might be space for some more. When we built our pavilion there I think it was actually one of our planning obligations [to plant trees].
‘One of the main issues is that when people want to leave flowers and cards strapped to benches, it can make it rather awkward for the people wanting to use them.’
Mr Le Troquer added that he met the parish’s Procureurs du Bien Public – the legal and financial representatives of the parish – twice a month to discuss any applications and that guidelines were available at parish.gov.je/stmartin.
