IT is undoubtedly high time that the future of Plémont headland was settled. It is also the case that any future use made of the area must be compatible with the interests of Islanders in general.

Against this background, the latest initiative by the Constable of St Ouen, Ken Vibert, is to be welcomed. He, in common with many of his parishioners – and, indeed, a great many people from other parts of the Island – believes that the States should acquire the site, that all thoughts of its development should be put aside and that it should be returned to a natural state.

Now that Mr Vibert has thrown down the gauntlet by lodging a proposition asking Treasury Minister Terry Le Sueur to negotiate the purchase of the site, which is still blighted by the derelict remains of Pontin’s holiday camp, Members have before them a clear path leading to the resolution of the Plémont stalemate. They should without doubt take it.

It is, of course, true that the present owners of the site have a vision for its development which has very little to do with a return to natural heathland. There is no reason to doubt that their preferred option continues to be new housing, which would maximise the value of their asset.

That said, as the owners’ spokesman has pointed out, acquisition by the States or a land swap would most certainly be considered – which emphasises the point that a way forward is quite clearly available.

It is, meanwhile, significant that Mr Vibert has pointed to examples of other areas that, in spite of having been developed in the past, have successfully been returned to nature. The Bal Tabarin site, also in St Ouen, is one of them, but the prime example is at the top of Bouley Bay hill, where an old hotel was replaced by an open space to be enjoyed by the general public.

In principle, the existence of the old holiday camp buildings at Plémont might suggest that the area is ripe and ideal for redevelopment. In practice, we must take pains to ensure that a past mistake is not compounded by a new set of developmental errors.