Cutting-edge design capabilities were instrumental in brokering an agreement between the building’s owners, keen to bring the crumbling structure back into use, and planning conservationists determined to preserve as much of the building’s heritage as possible.

As designers, we are passionate about protecting our built heritage. The challenge in the past has been demonstrating this to the Historic Environment Officer. For the Le Seelleur Building we created a detailed 3D model of the proposed design and used colour coding to show every change the developer planned to make within and every element of the old building that would remain untouched; light green indicates the proposed steel work, and the red shows the existing. After reviewing this, planning permission was granted.

So modern cutting-edge technology has proved instrumental in helping preserve a well-known part of Jersey’s historic past. And is perhaps pointing the way towards a more harmonious relationship between developers and conservationists in the future. As a builder and staunch islander, surely Harold Le Seelleur would be pleased.