THE Housing Minister has signalled his support for the extension of the Millennium Town Park, but also admitted that the Education Department is eyeing up the former Jersey Gas headquarters for a new St Helier school.
Deputy Russell Labey confirmed that the site was one of the favoured options for delivering new school facilities, in response to a question from Senator Sam Mézec during yesterday’s States sitting.
Andium Homes dropped its plans to develop the former headquarters into social housing in January and instead recommended it be used to double the size of the existing park.
Deputy Labey said: ‘This is a once-in-a-generation thing that we can do, to provide much-needed green space in St Helier. Doubling the park is exactly the right thing to do.
‘Education have come very late to this party. There is no other site to double the size of that park. There are other sites to re-site Springfield School.’
He added: ‘We have got Education, having done their [school estate] review, and coming forward with their favoured options for the two new schools they want. One of those, Gas Place, is in their sights.’
St Helier Constable Simon Crowcroft has previously indicated that he could lodge a proposition to force the government to extend the park, and urged the Housing Minister to work with ministerial colleagues and Reform Jersey to reach a ‘consensus’.
Reform Jersey member Deputy Rob Ward has lodged an amendment to the Draft Bridging Island Plan, which is due to be debated at a States sitting this month, calling for the site to be earmarked for a new town primary school. He has said it would be the ‘perfect location’ for a school serving the north of the town, and an opportunity to further extend the park.
It also emerged during yesterday’s sitting that a proposal to include a long-awaited youth centre serving the north of town in Andium’s Ann Street Brewery plans was turned down by the Youth Service, according to the Housing Minister.
‘They [Andium] had plans for that, and they offered it to the Youth Service, and the Youth Service have taken a long time to actually turn it down, which I’m surprised at. I think they should have seized it,’ said Deputy Labey. ‘I hope they will think again.’
He indicated that they still planned to include the youth centre in the planning application.
