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2.8 Deputy K.C. Lewis of St. Saviour of the Minister for Education, Sport and Culture regarding the future use of the former Fort Regent swimming pool:
As the former Fort Regent swimming pool has been empty for over 5 years, what plans does the Minister have for this building?
Senator M.E. Vibert (The Minister for Education, Sport and Culture):
Fort Regent pool closed at the end of 2003 in line with a States approved agreement relating to the establishment of the waterfront pool. As part of the work being undertaken by EDAW, the consultants working on the regeneration of the east of Albert Town area, a task group has been established to look at Fort Regent, including the old swimming pool building. The group has produced a development brief for Fort Regent setting out a broad development strategy to guide developers considering potential options for the site. I understand that the group will seek expressions of interest from potential developers during 2008.
- Deputy K.C. Lewis :
I thank the Minister for his reply. I enjoyed Fort Regent as a young man, putting a costume under my arm and going up on the cable car, but being a fort it was designed to keep people out. When the cable car was done away with it did exactly that. However, many thousands of people do make the effort to get to Fort Regent and I congratulate them on that. Will the Minister be undertaking to provide the long awaited scenic lift from Snow Hill to Fort Regent?
Senator M.E. Vibert :
The Minister would love to provide the long awaited scenic lift to Fort Regent. In fact, this Assembly approved plans for the redevelopment of Fort Regent in 1996. Unfortunately since then no funds have been made available to redevelop the fort which is why the current EDAW group are looking at it and seeing if, while retaining the sport and leisure element there, other uses can be made which would enable the redevelopment of the fort, including some way of getting customers and people who want to visit the fort up there much quicker. There has been a problem since the cable cars ceased operation, because they had passed their useful life in 1991, I believe, and we have never really fully overcome that for the casual visitor.
- Deputy R.C. Duhamel of St. Saviour :
Will the development brief be made available to States Members?
Senator M.E. Vibert :
As far as I am concerned it can be. I think it is a public document produced by EDAW. It certainly was discussed at a meeting which all States Members attended and so on and I have a copy here. As far as I know there is nothing secret about it. It is going out to potential developers. It talks about the history of Fort Regent, the constraints at the site, et cetera, and asks for developers to express interests, if they have any, in what can be done with it.
- Deputy D.W. Mezbourian of St. Lawrence :
Education, Sport and Culture produced a conservation statement for Fort Regent in September 2006 in which it states that the site is of considerable significance for its educational value, stating that it provides an excellent focus for a range of historical studies. Will the Minister explain whether, following publication of this statement, this is being progressed by his department?
Senator M.E. Vibert :
It would be wonderful if we could develop the fort in that way and that was included in part of the plans that we had for the fort. The historical significance of the site is included in the development brief which takes cognisance of Andrew Gribb's report that we commissioned on Fort Regent.
- Deputy K.C. Lewis :
If and when the Island Games return to Jersey, do I presume that they will be using Les Quennevais pool?
Senator M.E. Vibert :
At present Les Quennevais pool is used for the major galas in the Island very successfully and if - and I hope when, not if - the Island Games return to the Island then we will be looking to see how we can enhance Les Quennevais pool with perhaps the provision of extra seating and so on to host the Island Games. The Island Games swimming has been hosted in much smaller pools than Les Quennevais. It is an excellent pool for the swimming; its spectator facilities are somewhat limited, but if people remember, and certainly Deputy Lewis will remember when he went up to Fort Regent, we had loads of spectator space with about 3 people in it most of the time.
- Deputy D.W. Mezbourian :
I am afraid I did not understand the answer that the Minister gave to me a moment ago. My question was quite simple: is the site being used at all for its educational value regarding historical studies by local students?
Senator M.E. Vibert :
Not specifically because it has not been developed in a way that would enable that to happen easily and safely with some of the outside areas. Some students do study Fort Regent and look at it but it is not used specifically at present, although part of the plans was for a conservation trail explaining
the history and the development of the fort and its importance. If that was developed I am sure it
could be incorporated into our educational curriculum in that way.
Deputy D.W. Mezbourian :
Thank you. That response made more sense to me than the first one.