Jerbourg residents glad site gets listed
JERBOURG residents have reacted positively to the news that the Batterie Strassburg site has been listed as a Grade A Status protected building.
Phil and Anne Jonkmans said that it was a positive step.
‘Recently it has felt like a lot of the island’s history is disappearing.
‘I’m glad this site is being protected,’ Mr Jonkmans said.
The couple have a long affiliation with the area. Mrs Jonkmans’ late parents, Leonard and Clare Crocker, lived at Jerbourg for many years.
‘I think our family has the longest history here. It’s nice to hear that things are being done to look after the site,’ she said.
Buz White, whose family have lived at Jerbourg for over 60 years, agreed with the site being listed.
‘It’ll be great for tourism, and gives even more protection to the area, which is so important as it becomes more and more historical,’ he said.
Mr White added that he had previously made representations as part of a group of Jerbourg residents who objected to a development application to convert an ammunition bunker into a house in 2021.
That application was eventually rejected by planners on the grounds it would be detrimental to the landscape of the cliffs and scale of the changes planned for the bunker would have been too extensive.
One resident, who did not wish to be named, said that there had been great upset over previous planning applications relating to the site.
‘It’s an important area. I have no great personal interest but having the site listed protects it, and means the fields remain fields,’ he said.
Another resident said that the listing was great news due to her love of the history surrounding the Occupation.
‘Our garden has bunkers in it, and they were part of the attraction of moving here,’ she added.
