Tributes to popular environmentalist who "modernised planning"

Wednesday 30 March 2022

Friends and colleagues have paid tribute to former senior politician and environmentalist Nigel Quérée, who has died aged 67.

He passed away on Monday surrounded by his family at his home in St. Ouen.

Mr Quérée joined the States Assembly with an island-wide mandate in 1990. Within three years of being elected to the Assembly, he was President of Telecommunications Committee, although Mr Quérée will be best remembered as President of the Planning and Environment Committee from 1996 until 2002, when he decided not to stand again.

Pictured: Mr Quérée became a Senator in 1990.

At the helm of P&E, Senator Quérée steered through a new Planning Law, which had not been updated until 1964. He also took the groundbreaking 2002 Island Plan through the Assembly, which defined planning policy for the following 10 years.

Unsurprisingly, the plan had a strong emphasis on the environment, including introducing new protections for the countryside, shoreline and heritage buildings.

Mr Quérée was also a driving force behind the campaign to buy the former Plémont Holiday Camp in order to return it to nature, something that was eventually achieved in 2014.

He also played a central role in designating the island's south-east coast and reefs as a Ramsar site and protecting Les Mielles in St Ouen's Bay.

Alongside his political career, Mr Quérée remained an IT manager and then director at Normans, which he had joined in 1981.

One of many paying tribute today was Mr Quérée's Vice-President on P&E, Alastair Layzell.

He said: "Nigel had a keen brain, a quiet determination, and a passionate desire to do right by Jersey. Valuing and protecting the environment was his life.

"Being a member of his Planning and Environment Committee was exhilarating. He transformed the way planning was viewed by practitioners and public, inviting architects and applicants into meetings - traditionally held behind closed doors - and encouraging objectors to join site visits to express their concerns directly to committee members.

"The new Planning Law and the 2002 Island Plan were significant pieces of public policy which, taken together, modernised planning in Jersey. They are the bedrock of the Bridging Island Plan, approved by the States a few days before Nigel’s death. We owe him a lot."

Another fondly remembering Mr Quérée was current Environment Minister John Young, who served as his Chief Officer at P&E.

“He was such a lovely man: mild mannered, polite and good natured,” he said. “On environmental matters, he was not only incredibly passionate but way ahead of his time.

“He had a vision to set up an Environment Department so under his leadership the old Island Development Committee made way for P&E. Before then, responsibility for the environment was split between departments but he brought it together.

“He also appointed the island’s first Director of the Environment, Gerard Le Claire, and would later be a trustee of the trust set up in Mr Le Claire's memory.”

Deputy Young added: “The Island Plan had not been updated since 1987 but Nigel introduced the law requiring it to cover 10 years.

“The 2002 Island Plan was a hugely significant piece of work and many of the policies that the Assembly approved in the Bridging Island Plan last week have their roots in that visionary piece of work.

“He brought in independent and third-party appeals, open planning meetings, and officer sub-groups, such as the environment policy team."

Deputy Young said that Mr Quérée had also been a key figure on the Policy and Resources Committee, and worked closely with former Senator Pierre Horsfall and others to move to ministerial government.

Deputy Young said he was devastated at the news of his death, adding that Mr Quérée had emailed him only relatively recently to offer his wisdom on the the latest Island Plan.

Un vrai Gris Ventre, Mr Quérée was born, bred and lived in the island's north-western parish.

He attended Les Landes School, Victoria College and the University of Salford. Returning to Jersey, he became active member of the environmental group Concern, and supported its campaign to prevent the flooding of Queen's Valley. 

Pictured: Mr Quérée was an active member of Concern in the 1980s and campaigned in the Queen's Valley debate.

It was this passion for the environment that prompted him to stand for the States Assembly. 

Outside of politics, Mr Quérée supported his wife Judith in building a beautiful home and garden at Creux Baillot Cottage, off Chemin des Garennes at the top of Grève de Lecq Woods.

The couple bought the rather dilapidated cottage in the late 70s and over time turned it into a beautiful home. Both avid horticulturalists, the Quérées packed their garden with more than 2,000 plants from all over the world, including 200 varieties of Clematis.

In the summer, they opened it to the public, which was popular with visitors and locals alike.

This morning, the States Assembly paid tribute to Mr Quérée with a minute's silence.

The Bailiff, Timothy Le Cocq, said: "Today, our thoughts are with Judith, daughter Taryn and son Piers. I hope they will be comforted by the fact that the work undertaken by Nigel Quérée's in this Chamber lives on, and that he is remembered with affection - and admiration - by those who served with him."