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Chair,
Economic and International Affairs Scrutiny Panel
18th October 2021 Dear Deputy Johnson ,
Review of the Government Plan 2022 - 2025
Following your letter of 6th October, please find below the answers to your pre-hearing questions.
Fort Regent – Recent Survey Publication
We understand you recently published the findings of your survey which was undertaken on the future of the Fort.
• Could you provide the Panel with the questions that were asked in order to arrive at the conclusions?
• Could you provide the Panel with the details of the focus groups Government engaged with during the survey and the areas of questioning provided to these groups?
• Could you provide the Panel with details on the immediate plans for Fort Regent following the results of the survey?
• What work, if any, has been undertaken to engage the services of a contractor?
The Future Fort project is a corporate project, with a Political Oversight Group led by the Chief Minister. IHE are the delivery department with Director General Andy Scate as the Senior Reporting Officer. It is not an EDTSC project. The survey and consultation were part of the Future Fort project. More information can be found here:
https://www.gov.je/news/2021/pages/FutureFortSurveyResults.aspx
Sport are a current tenant of the building, along with other tenants such as the music service. Ministers for those areas can answer specifics about their use of the building and their plans in the longer term to deliver services elsewhere
Inspiring Active Places – Sports Strategy
We note a figure of £814,000 in total over the life of this Government plan for the Inspiring Active Places Sports Strategy.
• Do you believe this figure is adequate and will cover the project until 2024?
The figure of £814k only relates to the project activity planned in 2022. This will cover the required development funding for 2022 to ensure more feasibility and detailed design work can be progressed on the early projects, Le Rocquier Sport and Wellbeing Hub in particular. This will allow the case for capital to be made based on more detailed information.
• Can you provide a breakdown of the projects this figure will cover?
IAP Project | 2021 (FYI) | 2022 |
Le Rocquier Sport and Wellbeing | Design and consultant | RIBA Stage 1-4. Planning and Project |
Hub | team onboarding | Specific Business Case |
Island Stadium | None | Internal Team Progression of Concept |
FB Fields Outdoor Sports Hub and | Internal Team Progression | Masterplan and Feasibility Study. |
Community Wellbeing Park | of Concept |
|
Les Quennevais Sport and Wellbeing Hub | Internal Team Progression of Concept | Master Plan of Outdoor Sports Areas and Site location for New Hub |
St Helier Sport and Wellbeing Hub | None | Internal Team Progression of Concept |
Netball Facilities (post closure of Les Ormes) | Internal Team to progress private provision option. | Internal Team to progress private provision option and an alternative solution at Haute Valley School. |
• Could you provide the Panel with an updated timeline to show the progression of the works in the sports strategy or provide a detailed update showing key milestones, timeframes and engagement of contractor(s)?
The table above details the planned activity for the remainder of 2021 and for 2022. The procurement of sport and leisure consultants, project managers and cost consultants has taken place and should be awarded imminently. The procurement of an integrated design will commence in October and should be in place in December 2021.
Elizabeth Castle
We note the repair and maintenance of Elizabeth Castle is due to be carried out in 2022 and 2023.
• Do you have any alternative funding arrangements or contingencies in place should the repair and maintenance phase of the building not go as planned?
In order to minimise the risk of unforeseen events, it is critical to ensure that the work is properly and professionally scoped. Some contingency would usually be built in at project level although any additional need would be subject to a request to Treasury in the usual way.
• What will the completion of development work of Elizabeth Castle involve?
An explanation of this is given on Page 128 of the Government Plan 2022-25 Appendix document
Skateparks
• Can you explain why there is a net of £200,000 PoJ money allocated to the skateparks and
the rationale behind this funding?
To clarify, this is Government of Jersey allocated funding, not funding provided by Ports of Jersey. The original skatepark project, as identified in the Government Plan 2020– 2023 and Government Plan 2021 – 2024, was entitled New Skatepark (net of PoJ Funding)'
.
This is an additional £200,000 allocation to the original project head of expenditure to cover the total cost estimate for Les Quennevais Skatepark, accounting for redesign and scope of works.
Ports of Jersey are making a £75,000 contribution to the project.
• Is this funding of £200,000 in addition to the funding that was previously approved by the States Assembly for the skateparks?
Yes, this is an additional £200,000 allocation to the original project head of expenditure to cover the total cost estimate for Les Quennevais Skatepark, accounting for redesign and scope of works.
• Is the funding of £1,750 million in addition to the funding that was previously approved by the States Assembly for the skateparks?
Yes, the original funding approved by the States Assembly in the Government Plan 2020 – 2023 was for a single skatepark with small satellite facilities in the form of skate friendly areas and street furniture.
Following public consultation and debate earlier in 2021, it is clear there is a need and demand for additional facilities. The additional funding will provide for a strategically located facility in St Helier and smaller facilities in other rural centres that deliver facilities that are accessible to all.
Heritage Arts and Culture
• Can you provide further details of the projects planned for Heritage, Arts and Culture through the life of the Government plan?
The Department has commissioned two sectoral strategies, for Arts and for Heritage to set out the ambition for both sectors. The have been subject to public consultation and will be published later in 2021.
In the case of Heritage, a proposed recommendation is the establishment of a Heritage Partnership which will encompasses the key Heritage organisations along with Government officials involved in Heritage; this is chaired by the Minister responsible. This Advisory Group will determine the heritage programmes to be delivered over the life of the Government Plan. It is anticipated that initial work will involve compliance with the various international conventions and best practice relating to heritage.
The draft Arts Strategy is ambitious and aims for the sector to raise its profile, and to support wider Government initiatives and priorities, post-pandemic. As with heritage, a new Creative Island Partnership group has been established. This group includes representatives from both Government funded arts-focussed arms-length organisations, practitioners and other arts-related organisations.
Economic Recovery
• Can you give some background as to the allocation of £20,400,000 over the life of the Government Plan for Economic Recovery'.
• The Economic Recovery Allocation has a sum of £10.2m allocated in each of 2022 and 2023.
• The first call on this funding would be to provide continuity of COVID-19 business support measures extended into those future years
• Working groups have been stood up to consider some sprint' activity on recovery and renewal flowing out of the Economic Council report. Such initiatives would bid for support from one or more of a) BAU department or ALO funding; b) ERA funding; c) future Government Plan funding e.g. 2023- 26.
Yours sincerely,
Senator Lyndon Farnham
Deputy Chief Minister | Minister for Economic Development, Tourism, Sport and Culture +44 (0)1534 440628 l.farnham@gov.je