21 hours Ago By Newsdesk
JERSEY War Tunnels has applied for planning permission to carry out preservation work to ensure its “long-term survival”. The application – which has been submitted by general manager Damian Warman and consultancy Steedman Planning – outlines several “structural repairs” that are needed to preserve four key areas of the Occupation underground complex, which was recently put on the market for £5.5m.
The Grade-II-listed site was constructed between 1941 and 1943, with the German forces using slave and forced labour. The tunnels were initially designed as an arsenal but were later repurposed as a medical facility for wounded soldiers. The proposed works include replacing “severely decayed timber” beams in the shower block with “pre-stressed concrete” beams, installing new steel supports in the boiler room and reinforcing a doorway to an unfinished tunnel section.
A heritage impact assessment submitted with the application reads: “These proposals are ultimately structural conservation exercises to support the historic structure’s survival in the medium-to-long term, in line with good conservation practice.” The assessment adds that “the general approach has been conservative in the removal of fabric and the introduction of modern fabric which alters the appearance of the area”. It notes that while some historic fabric is “unfortunately beyond repair”, the impacts will be “limited in their severity and location” and are “outweighed by the positive impact that they will make to this heritage asset in the longer term”.
All historic materials that are removed will be “recorded and retained on-site in a safe, cool and dry environment”, with historic bricks to be “cleaned and photographed before being put back where they originated”. In the shower block, two “severely decayed timber lintels [beams] have been insensitively ‘repaired’ using expanding foam”, according to the heritage impact assessment. The proposal recommends replacing these with pre-stressed concrete beams, noting that “even modern, treated timber would fail in this location” due to the damp environment.
The boiler room requires “new steel beams to bear below the existing corroded ceiling beams”. The assessment said that while this would “obscure sight of a considerable amount of the historic ceiling”, the fixings would be “kept to a necessary minimum”. For the unfinished tunnel doorway, the plans include “a new stainless steel flange to support the I-beams and new stainless steel posts”.
While this will cause some “minor negative impact” through permanent fixings to the floor and walls, the assessment states that “the gain of securing this structural element in the long term outweighs the minor harm”. The fourth section requires the renewal of modern protection panels in the rockfall area, including “new corrugated decking to parts of the canopy”..
