Science1 publisher2 min readPublished
Jersey's National Trust secures rights to another field in built-up St Clement
Jersey's National Trust has secured rights to buy a St Clement field near one it bought in 2021 with £50,000 raised in 37 days. Two purchases in one of the island's most built-up parishes point to a green lung being assembled field by field.
The Scientist · Science desk
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What happened
- The trust says the new field will help preserve the agricultural heritage of Maupertuis Farm and the area around it.
- Chief executive Alan Le Maistre said protecting green space is particularly important in Jersey's densely developed parts.
- The charity, which marked its 90th anniversary in August, manages about 1,800 vergees of land across the island.
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Why it matters
- precedent Presenting the second purchase as an extension of the first gives the trust a template for adding St Clement land whenever a nearby parcel comes up for sale.
- constraint A green lung built by purchase can grow only as fast as neighbouring owners agree to sell and donors agree to pay.
- cost Donors gave about £1,350 a day in 2021 against a stated £50,000 goal; this time they are being asked to give with no public figure to judge the price against.
- constraint Without a field size, nobody outside the trust can weigh the addition against its 1,800 vergees or estimate what it adds for wildlife.
Two fields are a small sample for calling anything a strategy, but the pattern can be inspected. The 2021 field on Samares Lane and the new land near Maupertuis Farm are close to each other [4], and the trust describes the new purchase as extending a green lung in the parish [2]. "Extend" is chief executive Alan Le Maistre's word. "It is a privilege to have the opportunity to extend this green lung for both the wildlife and people of the area," he said [7].
He also said green spaces were becoming "ever more precious" and that protecting them was particularly important in densely developed parts of the island [6]. That is the trust's case for buying in St Clement in particular.
The trust did not disclose the price of the new land, its size, or whether further purchases are planned. Size is the missing denominator. The trust manages about 1,800 vergées across Jersey [8]. Against that island-wide holding, one field is a small addition. Its value depends on location, in one of Jersey's most built-up parishes [2].
The 2021 appeal is the best evidence of local willingness to pay. The trust raised £50,000 in 37 days for the Samares Lane field [4], roughly £1,350 a day [10]. For this purchase, it has asked people who want to help to contact the charity directly [9]. The trust says it hopes to complete the deal shortly [1].
In my view the two purchases justify describing what the trust is doing in St Clement as building up a green lung one field at a time. Calling it a policy would need the trust to say so in those terms. So far it has described this field as an extension of the earlier one, and no more than that [7].
The claimed benefits are the general ones. A green lung, in the BBC's definition, is fields, parkland or vegetation inside an urban area that gives wildlife space and helps reduce pollution [3]. The trust adds a second aim for this site: preserving the agricultural heritage of Maupertuis Farm and the surrounding area [5]. The two aims overlap, but they are different. A working field keeps its heritage value by being farmed, and its value to wildlife depends on how it is farmed. The Samares Lane field has been in trust hands since 2021 [4], so a species survey there would be the first real test of what the green lung delivers.
What to watch
- Completion of the Maupertuis Farm purchase, and whether the trust then publishes the price and size of the field.
- Whether the trust opens a public appeal with a target that can be compared with the 2021 drive of £50,000 in 37 days.
- Any further trust purchases in St Clement, which would show whether two fields are the start of a programme.