THE National Trust for Jersey is taking the ‘unusual’ step of selling a 17th-century cottage in order to raise funds to repair two other historic properties.
La Ronce in St Ouen is set to be sold for £1.5 million, almost 13 times the price paid by the trust in 1987, with the transaction expected to be completed in the Royal Court this afternoon.
The proceeds of the sale, which follows an unsolicited offer by a local family, are to be used to fund work at La Vallette in St John and Les Côtils Farm in St Helier.
Trust chief executive Charles Alluto said it was important to differentiate between properties which the organisation had been bequeathed, and those which it had purchased.
He said: ‘It is unusual, but if a property is bought by us then we are free to sell it in order to release equity.
‘If we acquire a property via a will, or other form of bequest, then we would never sell it – “trust” is an important part of our name, and we would always respect the wishes of those who have trusted us with their property.’
Mr Alluto said that the trust had invested money in conservation work at La Ronce since buying it 35 years ago for £117,000, and that the property on Route de Trodez would be maintained in perpetuity as a result of covenants placed on it, restricting what modifications or alterations could be carried out in future.
The property still has many of its original 17th-century features, including a pig-sty, and pens believed to have been used for keeping geese.
The arched front door is formed from seven granite stones and is just 5ft 6ins in height, although Mr Alluto said the cottage could also be accessed via a back door.
Selling the property would, Mr Alluto added, allow the trust to carry on its valuable, but costly, work to preserve and care for the land and properties that it owns.
‘We don’t exist to own property for the sake of it; we are there to be proactive and conserve properties for the benefit of the Island,’ he said. ‘We have done our job at La Ronce in being able to ensure it is permanently protected, and now we wish to move on to other properties that we own and which need attention.’
Work on La Vallette and Les Côtils Farm was part of a £3.5m backlog of repair and maintenance which the trust intended to address, Mr Alluto added.
