Creve Coeur to be opened up to the public after 30 years
Creve Coeur should reopen to the public next year, after three decades of being closed.
Part of the land alongside Mont Cuet belongs to the National Trust, but about 30 years ago it was leased to the States of Guernsey for emergency landfill, after the island ran out of space at Bordeaux, and Mont Cuet was not ready for use.
The field was used for waste and then covered over.
Since then it has been fenced off.
National Trust president Tony Spruce said the land had helped with a desperate situation. But with Mont Cuet winding down, there are plans to return Creve Coeur to nature.
While only about a quarter of the site was owned by the charity, new boundaries are currently being drawn up. Within the transfer document would be warranties to ensure the States could handle any unforeseen issues with the former landfill site.
Mr Spruce said he hoped the situation would be agreed soon, and then work would need to be carried out.
‘We are hoping, if all goes according to plan, it would be open to the public by mid-2023,’ he said.
That time would allow for an environmental and ecological survey to be carried out of the whole area, in conjunction with other local groups.
Mr Spruce said the National Trust was grateful to Ronez for funding the survey. The quarrying firm is planning to excavate the western side of the headland.
The survey will help direct work to make the area a better habitat for plants and wildlife.
Designated pathways would be created to allow the public to explore the land, without damaging it.
‘We want it to be accessible to the public and so people can see the great views – they are terrific,’ Mr Spruce said.
The site would be combined with the neighbouring ammunition store site, which the charity took on a few years ago.
Planning permission for new 1.8m-high fencing on the boundary between Mont Cuet and Creve Coeur sites has been approved. There will be a pedestrian gate at the ridge of the landfilled area to enable access to gas monitoring manifold chambers along the ridge of the former landfill site.
The dilapidated existing fencing will be removed in time.
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