QUESTIONS over the future of the Island’s sporting infrastructure have been raised – as the government shelved ‘unfeasible’ plans for Fort Regent.
Infrastructure Minister Tom Binet revealed that the Future Place Ministerial Group were reassessing what could be delivered in this term of office, saying that the latest redevelopment scheme for the sports facility – unveiled in 2021 by the previous government – was no longer affordable.
The plans, which were to take shape over the course of a ten-year redevelopment, featured proposals for a multi-purpose venue for conferences, sporting events and concerts, alongside a hotel, cinema, ten-pin-bowling alley and casino.
And Steve Pallett, who previously held political responsibility for sport, said that he feared that sport would be ‘pushed to the back of the queue’ for funding, despite a number of Island facilities being in desperate need of investment.
He said: ‘I can understand why the Infrastructure Minister has said what he said but we do have to ask ourselves: do we want a Fort building that we can be proud of or do we let it get to such a dilapidated state that we close the doors for good?
‘I fear for what will happen with the Active Place strategy. That set a clear vision as to how we can revamp our sports facilities over a ten-year period.
‘There is no money in the Government Plan and my fear is there is going to be a four-year absence of any clear commitment to improving sports facilities.’
The prospect of Jersey hosting major sporting events was thrown into doubt when the Super League Triathlon was removed from the calendar after government funding was withdrawn.
And earlier this week, Jon Marley, director for the 2023 NatWest Island Games, due to be held in Guernsey, claimed that the Channel Islands would struggle to host the event in the future because of the cost and lack of accommodation.
Those claims were disputed by senior Island politicians. However, Mr Pallett warned that Jersey was reaching a point where it might not have the infrastructure to host major events.
‘I am sure that the Chief Minister would jump at the chance of having the Island Games here because we all saw the way it lifted morale in 2015.
‘We are getting to the point where, if we are not very careful, then we won’t be able to host it because that infrastructure is starting to break down.’
Mr Pallett said that the sports centre at Les Quennevais was reaching the end of its lifespan and would soon need replacing, while a planned development at Le Rocquier had been axed.
Referring to the Fort, he added: ‘We have had a lot of plans and nothing has happened. My fear is we are going to get to the end of this four-year term and nothing will have happened again.’
Deputy Binet, in response to a written States question from Deputy Mary Le Hegarat, described the plans ‘developed under the previous government’ as ‘unfeasible in the current economic climate’.
He added: ‘The Future Places Ministerial Group are reassessing what is feasible and are committed to developing an affordable and deliverable proposal for the future of Fort Regent, and to securing an appropriate mandate from the States Assembly.’
He also revealed that the number of government services, sports clubs and enterprises operating out of the Fort had reduced from 39 in 2019 to 21 by the start of this year. He added that this was expected to reduce to five in 2024.
‘The predicted figures are linked to the planned opening of facilities at Springfield Sport Centre in 2023 and Oakfield Sport Centre in 2024,’ Deputy Binet added.
