Serious of-fence! College Field plans withdrawn amid furious backlash

Thursday 03 November 2022

Victoria College has today pulled plans to replace the iconic white fence around College Field after the proposal caused serious of-fence to both past students and planning officials.

The school had proposed to put in a “metal post and wire mesh fencing with ball stop netting” instead.

The proposed fence was intended to be up to 3m high around the playing areas with fencing around the cricket pitch up to 6m with the additional netting factored in.

One of the key reasons for the proposed upgrade, according to the school, was because the current fence was in a state of disrepair, with some areas described as “degrading” and “rotting”. Secondly, they argued the new fence would have provided a better view of the field from the roadside. With its improved netting, Victoria College also said the update would “improve public safety” by providing an enhanced barrier against balls being knocked onto the public road. 

But the plans were officially withdrawn today - just days after the Planning Department's Historic Environment Team had provided an official objection to the proposals.

In their objection, they spoke of the history of the school and surrounding area.

College Field's iconic fence appears in some of then earliest photos of Victoria College, which is itself a Grade 1 Listed building with the main building finished in 1852, an example of Neo-Gothic architecture. The same can be said of the historic College House, finished in 1901, that also overlooks the field. 

In their objection, the Historic Environment Team stated that Victoria College is “an outstanding example of a Victorian school, in a Gothic Revival style." Not only that, they term the site "possibly sublime" and that it "is of the highest significance as a sophisticated Picturesque institutional landscape in Jersey.”  

The white picket fence itself, the Planning team argued, is an integral part of the area's aesthetic. They saw the specification for the new fence as "utilitarian and not contextually sensitive, albeit highly functional" and that it "neither conserves, not visually improves the sensitive setting of either College". Indeed, they saw it as having a "damaging impact on the wider setting of both Colleges". As such, they recommend a “more nuanced approach." That is, to "retain and repair" the current fence and possibly make an assessment later down the line. 

The Historic Environment Team was not alone in criticising the new proposal - their objection was merely the latest in a series of comments from members of the public, and especially Victoria College's alumni community.

Pictured: College field and its iconic white fence, with College House in the background. 

The 'Old Victorians', as they are known, seemed to have been particularly galvanised by the project, with calls to object lighting up the group's Facebook page.

Notable reactions to the proposal on the 'OV' Facebook page included "kindly leave our fence alone", "ridiculous idea... it;s part of the character and culture of the school" and, "sounds awful!".

Sentiments expressed in the public comments on the official planning application, meanwhile, ranged from mildly disappointed to apoplectic. 

Benjamin Tate commented that the fence would look “too industrial and prison-like.”

Anthony Flemmer commented that it would be “aesthetically displeasing”, while Robert Minty said that “the current white wooden fence is an iconic... removing it will significantly alter the setting of a listed building forever.”

Elizabeth Parsons had a particularly pithy comment: “this sounds absolutely awful and should only be replaced like-for-like.” 

Alan Watts wrote: “At a time when we are looking to preserve our heritage, celebrate our culture and reduce our ‘throw-away’ lifestyle, it seems incredible that we would junk an entire wooden fence because one or two posts are a bit rotten.”

Pictured: Pictured: Football on College Field, the white fence is visible in the background. (Victoria College)

Fraser Martin claimed that the proposal was: "a travesty and nothing short of vandalism."

David Dorgan took things a step further, commenting: “Perhaps the aim of the metal wire mesh fencing is to turn the look of College Field into a concentration camp as if the the Nazi’s were back in residence at College House?” 

A somewhat more measured, but no less passionate, objection came from Old Victorian Michael Davies, who found some pause for philosophical reflection amidst the fury: “G.K. Chesterton had an argument which seems particularly apt. Chesterton argued that if you come along a fence in a field, which seems to serve no purpose, then absent any particular reason to remove it, you should let the fence be, as some chap obviously put it up for a reason. I cannot think of a better arguments given the obvious analogy here.” 

The official register of Planning applications was updated this morning to say that the application had been withdrawn.

Pictured top: Sports day in the 1950s. (Jersey Wiki)