Is now the time for an expensive review of island's housing stock?

I ask the following questions openly of our deputies and would expect that many readers would share my concerns.

• At what cost is this review being undertaken at a time of spending restraints and when we have many other pressing needs, for example, long-term care for our aged population (of which we are all a part), the absence of toilet facilities due to closures and the inability to fund potentially lifesaving health treatment for certain individuals?

• Why is this being done?

• Who has mandated the staff of the department to undertake such an extensive review at a time of monetary constraint? This is presumably the Environment Department Committee, whose members are elected by us, the electorate.

• Do we, the electorate, want our money spent in this way and indeed what benefit is it overall to have so many listed buildings? Virtually everybody I have spoken to is in agreement that there are far too many listed buildings in Guernsey. It is appreciated that it is necessary to preserve our heritage and indeed many of these buildings would be preserved without bureaucratic intervention. I can accept that there is a need for outstanding properties to be listed, but not to examine over 25% of our housing stock.

We should not be trying to live in the past. The Environment Department surely has a mandate and responsibility to preserve the 'environment' by means of allowing properties to be modernised and insulated in an efficient manner, thus saving energy and reducing harmful emissions. I believe that we should be looking to the future and not imposing excessively bureaucratic restrictions on the owners of such properties, which is often undertaken unilaterally with no right of appeal (that certainly was the case some 20 years ago) and without offering any compensation for the inconvenience and likely loss of value.

MARTIN PRIEST,

Courtil l'Essart,

Rue du Tertre,

Vale.

Editor's footnote: A spokesman for the Environment Department responds: 'The Environment Department is grateful for this opportunity to respond to your reader's letter and help clarify the position regarding the Protected Buildings Review.

There is a legal requirement placed on the Environment Department as planning authority by law to maintain and keep under review the list of protected buildings on Guernsey. Guernsey is very fortunate in having a rich heritage of historic buildings, many of which do warrant special protection under the law. Guernsey is signed up to the Granada Convention for the Protection of Architectural Heritage in Europe, one of the requirements of which is to identify properties of architectural heritage. The States of Guernsey also supports the protection and appropriate management of its historic environment at strategic policy level, for example through the States Strategic Plan and the Strategic Land Use Plan.

The list of protected buildings is currently being reviewed. Prior to commencement of this project the list had not been reviewed for many years and was inconsistent in terms both of the quality of buildings on it and the geographical coverage across the island. The department therefore had a significant task before it in order to systematically review and update the list.

Attempts were made in the past to update the list, however largely due to the scale and complexity of the task these failed to gain traction and were ultimately unsuccessful. When the new planning law came into force in 2009, it was recognised that a fresh and more comprehensive approach was needed. Following a pilot project, when the proposed methodology was developed and tested, the current review of the protected buildings list was commenced in early 2012.

Because of the inconsistent approach to protection of buildings in the past, the department identified a 'long list' of historic buildings which had to be considered as part of the review process. It also adopted a consistent and robust set of criteria against which the review and listing process should take place. These criteria are applied equally to buildings presently on the list and this has resulted in a significant number of previously protected buildings being removed from the list. The department has also adopted a two-tier grading approach to protection, to ensure proportionality by recognising a limited number of outstanding examples of particular building types where higher levels of protection should apply.

The review of the protected buildings list is now well under way and we expect to have a robust and consistent list by the end of 2016, which has not been the case at any time in the past.

The 5,000 buildings quoted by your correspondent relates to the combined 'long list' of existing protected buildings (about 1,600) plus the additional buildings being considered as part of the review process (about 3,400). Many of the latter group of buildings are discounted at an early stage in the review process without further detailed consideration, but they do nevertheless need to be considered to some degree in order to make the review process valid and consistent. As noted above, a number of buildings have already been removed from the list as part of the review process.

The Protected Buildings Review is part of the legal duties of the Environment Department and the costs are met from within its normal budget. The department's conservation and design team consists of three staff members who have been engaged in this project alongside their other duties. These staff members have worked extremely hard to ensure that the cost of the project is minimal and that it delivers value for money. Progress of the project is updated on the States website.

Contrary to popular belief, changes can be made to protected buildings. Repair, maintenance and minor alterations can be carried out without the need for planning permission. If planning permission is needed, the department's policy is that changes will be supported where they sustain the special interest of the building.

The department does not expect protected buildings to be preserved in aspic or remain as museum pieces. The department's policy is to allow for appropriate change to protected buildings and necessary work to be carried out in order to upgrade them for the needs of our generation, e.g. improving their thermal insulation, air-tightness, or accessibility for all people. Doing this while sustaining the special interest of a building can be challenging and to be achieved may require alternative methods to those normally used for modern buildings.

A decision to list a building is not made unilaterally or without the right of appeal. The owner of a building that has been added to the list or had its entry amended can appeal against the department's decision to the independent planning panel. Similarly, if planning permission is refused, an applicant can appeal to the planning panel.

The department has published a Community Guide to the Review of the Protected Buildings List, which is available to download from the States website (www.gov.gg). This document provides further information on protected buildings and the current review process.'