There has been public outrage over plans, revealed by the Guernsey Press earlier this month, to cover the stream with a grille in a section of the footpath to enable it to be safely used by cyclists.
The new Education Committee has rowed back on the plans and is now wanting to look again at alternative options.
But La Societe may look to take the whole project off the table if it was to succeed with an application to make at least a section of the lanes a protected monument.
It discussed the issue at a meeting this week, said president Trevor Bourgaize.
‘La Societe will be objecting to any plans to cover stretches of the Water Lanes with metal grids,’ he said. ‘This is not only for biodiversity reasons, but also for its historical importance.’
He added that La Societe’s historic buildings and archaeology sections were currently researching the Water Lanes and their association with La Vrangue Mill, and the results of that investigation could be used to support an application for protected monument status.
‘This is a late medieval leat that would have powered the water mill at La Vrangue,’ he said. ‘It has been suggested in the past that it should have protected status – we also think other structures on Guernsey should be considered for protected monument status.’
In Guernsey, a protected monument is a designated site or structure, either natural or man-made, that holds special historical, architectural, or archaeological significance. These monuments, which can be above or below ground, receive legal protection to ensure their preservation.
There are about 350 protected monuments currently in the island, including buildings such as Victoria Tower and Castle Cornet, right down to small items such as boundary stones and water troughs.
ESC considered the original plan for a metal grid over the lanes as one of the conditions set by the Development & Planning Authority for the post-16 new build at Les Ozouets, which stated that there needed to be a detailed scheme for improving accessibility for pedestrians and cyclists to the site via the Water Lanes.
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