A Visite du Branchage is an inspection of roads in
Jersey
Jersey ( ; ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey, is an autonomous and self-governing island territory of the British Islands. Although as a British Crown Dependency it is not a sovereign state, it has its own distinguishing civil and gov ...
and
Guernsey
Guernsey ( ; Guernésiais: ''Guernési''; ) is the second-largest island in the Channel Islands, located west of the Cotentin Peninsula, Normandy. It is the largest island in the Bailiwick of Guernsey, which includes five other inhabited isl ...
to ensure property owners have complied with the laws against vegetation encroaching onto the road.
Jersey
The Visite du Branchage takes place in each
parish
A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...
twice a year to check that occupiers of houses and land bordering on public
road
A road is a thoroughfare used primarily for movement of traffic. Roads differ from streets, whose primary use is local access. They also differ from stroads, which combine the features of streets and roads. Most modern roads are paved.
Th ...
s have undertaken the 'branchage'.
The ''Loi (1914) sur la Voirie'' imposes a duty on all occupiers of property to ensure that encroachments are removed from the public highway.
The first Visite is between 24 June – 15 July and the second is between 1 – 21 September.
On the Visite du Branchage the
connétable, assisted by the members of the
Roads Committee
In Jersey, the Roads Committee (French: ''Comité des Chemins'') is the highway authority for Parish roads in each Parish
A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a dioces ...
,
Roads Inspector
A ''Roads Inspector'' (Jèrriais: ''L's Înspecteurs des C'mîns''; French: ''Inspecteur des chemins'') is a statutory office in Jersey responsible for the maintenance of public highways.
The Parish Assembly elects two roads inspectors for each ...
s and the
centenier
There is an Honorary Police ( French: ''Police Honorifique'') force in each of the twelve parishes of Jersey. Members of the Honorary Police are elected by the voters of the parish in which they serve, and are unpaid.
Honorary Police officers h ...
s, will visit the roads of his parish accompanied by the
vingtenier
There is an Honorary Police ( French: ''Police Honorifique'') force in each of the twelve parishes of Jersey. Members of the Honorary Police are elected by the voters of the parish in which they serve, and are unpaid.
Honorary Police officers h ...
s in their respective
Vingtaine
A vingtaine (, literally "group of twenty" in French) is a political subdivision of Jersey. They are subdivisions of the various parishes of Jersey, and one, La Vingtaine de la Ville (The Vingtaine of the town), in Saint Helier is further divid ...
s to ensure that the branchage has been completed. Occupiers of land may be fined up to £50 for each infraction unless -
* the 'branchage'
edges, branches and overhanging treeshas been trimmed back so as to give a clearance of 12 feet over main roads and by-roads;
* the 'branchage'
edges, branches and overhanging treeshas been trimmed back so as to give a clearance of 8 feet over
footpath
A footpath (also pedestrian way, walking trail, nature trail) is a type of thoroughfare that is intended for use only by pedestrians and not other forms of traffic such as Motor vehicle, motorized vehicles, bicycles and horseback, horses. They ...
s; and all trimmings have been removed from the road.
If the branchage has not been completed the occupier will be required to undertake the work and, if it is not carried out, the parish may arrange for the work to be done and charge the occupier the cost of that work.
The Visite du Branchage applies to all public roads including main roads, by-roads and footpaths.
The
Branchage Film Festival, takes its name from Visite du Branchage.
Image:Visite du Branchage Juilet 2008 Saint Hélyi c.jpg, Members of the Roads Committee inspect an encroaching hedge
Image:Visite du Branchage Juilet 2008 Saint Hélyi b.jpg, A Vingtenier draws up any charges
Image:Visite du Branchage Juilet 2008 Saint Hélyi d.jpg, A tree is measured for encroachment over the footway and the roadway
References
External links
*
Transport in Jersey
Plants
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