Remove sports facilities at Fort Regent

WQ.277/2025

WRITTEN QUESTION TO THE MINISTER FOR INFRASTRUCTURE

BY DEPUTY M.R. SCOTT OF ST. BRELADE

QUESTION SUBMITTED ON MONDAY 16th JUNE 2025 ANSWER TO BE TABLED ON MONDAY 23rd JUNE 2025

Question

"Further to the decision to remove sports facilities from Fort Regent, will the Minister advise –

1. whether monitoring of usage and capacity of sports facilities at Fort Regent, Oakfield and Springfield has been undertaken since 2018 and, if so, what the results were of that monitoring;
2. whether any modelling has been completed on the impact on the capacity of Oakfield and Springfield of more users opting to use sports facilities at these sites when Fort Regent is no longer available and, if so, what the results were of that modelling and, if no modelling has been undertaken, why not; and

whether there are plans to include a gym within the Fort Regent development?"

Answer

1. Usage monitoring by the Sport Division has, since 2018, primarily focused on Active members, and this remains the case today. It is important to note that this monitoring does not extend to all users of Fort Regent or other sports facilities and, therefore, does not represent total usage across all sites or

activities.  

Pre-covid, the capacity at Fort Regent was vastly underutilised and membership declined significantly in the years leading up to Covid due to the significant issues with asbestos, legionella, and fire safety, resulting in many areas having to be closed off for public use. From 2018 to 2019 alone, the membership dropped by almost 14%. During Covid many members chose to leave, finding alternative forms of exercise outdoors and at home. Over this period, the membership dropped by a further 32% to 4090 members, despite significantly reduced pricing and extended free periods offered during the covid disruptions. Recovery was slow in the lead up to May 2023 due to the introduction of increased competition from private operators in the St Helier area, with membership recorded in the April before Fort Regent closed at 4610 with 64% of members at that time using Les Quennevais, and 36% using Springfield and Fort Regent combined.  

The Active membership took a small dip of around 10% when we moved to Springfield, but this number had recovered by year end and in May 2025 the membership stood at 5022 members. The

existing Oakfield facility is not, at present, an Active member facility.  

2. In 2018, Knight, Kavanagh & Page Ltd conducted a comprehensive review titled the Sports Facility Delivery Strategy on behalf of the Government of Jersey. This report assessed both indoor and outdoor sports provision across the Island and considered future need and service improvements. This work informed the development of the Inspiring Active Places Strategy. No further modelling has been undertaken since that time. However, the Sports and Physical Activity Ministerial Group met last week to discuss this topic and has instructed officers to refresh the 2018 strategy to reflect current and future requirements.

In terms of current usage, data indicates that there is capacity available at the existing Oakfield Sports Centre used by Hautlieu School and Highlands College. As for modelling to determine the specific impact of closing Fort Regent on Oakfield, Springfield, or other facilities, this is not something the operational team has undertaken to date. However, officers are effectively modelling in practice by working closely with affected groups to allocate their sessions across our available facilities. This responsive approach enables the Sport Division to assess needs and usage dynamically and ensure

provision is aligned with demand.  

3. There are no current plans to include a gym within the Fort Regent redevelopment. The rationale for this is that there are already over 18 gyms operating across the Island, providing sufficient provision in the private sector.

Finally, it is important to emphasise that the decision to repurpose and refurbish Fort Regent is due to the fact that the existing sports facilities and infrastructure have reached the end of their life and are

no longer suitable for continued use in their current condition.