IT has taken years of campaigning, consultation and meetings but work on the new skatepark looks set to begin within weeks.
Government officials met yesterday morning to discuss the project following the end of a tendering process aimed at finding contractors to help build the Les Quennevais facility.
One of those involved, Assistant Economic Development Minister Hugh Raymond, who has political responsibility for sport, said Islanders could expect to see workers moving onto the site within two weeks.
Plans were approved in November last year by the Planning Committee.
The approval was welcomed by a celebrity of the sport, ten-time X Games winner Tony Hawk, who urged Islanders to ‘keep up the fight’ in their crusade for skateparks.
Deputy Raymond said: ‘Things are looking good. They want to commence late January – within ten to 14 days – with the earthworks which will be led by the Infrastructure, Housing and Environment Department.
‘Contractors for the build are due to be appointed by the end of January. It does vary a bit but we are thinking four to nine months from start to finish.
‘I would think it will be open by the autumn. It will be great to have the earthworks going on because people will be able to see that things are actually happening.
‘There is a toilet and shower building next to it which we are also looking at doing up. We want to make it look smart and so people can go and have a shower afterwards.’
Deputy Raymond’s comments are likely to please Jersey’s skateboarding and BMX community, who have waited several years for a dedicated facility to be created.
However, there appears to have been little progress on the proposed skatepark in South Hill Gardens.
Asked about the situation, Deputy Raymond said: ‘I make no bones about it. The population is in and around St Helier. A lot of the people who skateboard are in and around St Helier. If you look at the population there are 35,000 people just around Fort Regent.
‘If you put it in St Helier it is walkable and you do not have to worry about driving cars or getting on a bus to get there. If you take Les Quennevais you really are going to have to take some form of transport.
‘We have the historical people saying that South Hill is very important to the Island but you are never going to get a perfect site.
‘There is a plan coming out – the Waterfront Plan – on the back of one of the States amendments with regards to housing. It is the housing that is causing the problem. They go one way and then they go another.’
Deputy Raymond added that he would like to see a planning application lodged for a St Helier-based skatepark before the general election.
He added: ‘But because there are politics involved it may not go in until the latter part of this year and it may be down to the new government.’
