WORK on the Island’s first purpose-built pump track cannot begin until road safety requirements attached to its planning permission have been met, the government has confirmed, following questions over the apparent lack of progress at the site.
Infrastructure and Environment Department officials said there had been confusion between the opening of the wider Coronation Park extension and the separate timetable for the pump track at Millbrook playing fields.
While the new park extension – including the dune-scape and ball-game area – remains on course to open in August, the pump track has always been dependent on satisfying planning conditions before construction can begin.
As part of the planning permission for the site, work cannot start until a road safety monitoring scheme has been submitted and approved.
The government said the condition was imposed to assess the risks to pedestrians crossing Victoria Avenue to access Coronation Park, including the extension and the proposed pump track.
Traffic and pedestrian assessments are continuing to determine whether any additional safety measures are needed before works can proceed.
As part of that process, new monitoring cameras will be installed to gather further evidence on pedestrian movements and traffic flows.
Officials said the information would help ensure any decisions were based on data and that the site could be accessed safely by all users.
“The government remains committed to delivering the pump track, and there has been no change to the project’s funding or overall scope,” the statement said.
The clarification comes after parent Anthony Tobin contacted the JEP to raise concerns about the lack of visible progress at the site and called for greater transparency.
“When this project was announced, it was widely promoted as being ready for the summer. Many local families, including my own, looked forward to seeing a modern facility finally delivered for children and young people during the school holidays,” he said.
“Instead, we have been left with silence, a very large hole and some very disappointed parents and children.”
Mr Tobin said there had been “no meaningful public communication explaining why, what has changed, or when work might resume”.
He said residents were now driving past what appeared to be “an unfinished site”, adding that what should have become “a vibrant community facility” instead resembled “a large earthworks project abandoned midway through construction”.
