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I read in the JEP recently that you were interested in comments from the public regarding the future use of Fort Regent, I hope I am not too late to comment. I have lived in Jersey since 1969 so have seen how the Fort has developed over the years and also remember how popular it was both with local people and visitors. I often have friends and relatives visiting from the U.K. and make a point of taking them up there to have a look round, ( the views are amazing) I think at the moment everyone is of the same opinion - that the Fort is underused. It is perfect as a sports and leisure centre but does need other attractions to make it popular again. The following are just some ideas and observations - many based on what my visiting friends have suggested.
- Bring back the cable cars - without a doubt that would attract more people - just the novelty of having a cable car makes people curious to see what's at the other end.
- Sort out the gardens - there used to be beautiful gardens, rose garden etc. and I think I remember some very exotic fish there at one time. Seating and picnic areas- BBQ- would be popular - the views across St. Helier and out over the coast are lovely and it's a great place to sit and relax. This does not have to be a huge expensive operation - many people are keen gardeners but do not have their own patch, get the community involved, a lot of semi retired people would jump at the chance to go up there and make a difference, make it a school project - groups of school children could be allotted a small area to look after and plant up with shrubs, plants etc. It could be a competitive thing between schools.
- An Ice Rink - definately a good idea. Every time Kyran Bracken brings his ice rink over here it is sold out within days - a permanent ice rink in the Fort would be an enormous attraction all year round - there would still be room for the Christmas one in the gardens but to have a permanent one would make a huge difference for locals and visitors.
- I think it would be worth building a new swimming pool up there, I attend the gym twice a week and hear comments from people all the time how it would be lovely to go for a swim after the gym - Aqua Splash is not a serious swimming pool and the only alternative is to drive up to Quennevais. Apart from that - people living in St. Helier and the east side of the Island would benefit from a new pool.
I'm sure there are lots of ideas from people and these are purely my thoughts and observations, I think on the whole everyone is fond of Fort Regent and would really like to see it developed in a sensible way to make its' use more appealing. I don't think anyone really wants to see a casino up there! but there is certainly plenty of room for decent conference facilities - which the Island is lacking at the moment.
Kind regards, Rosemary O'Connor