INTEREST is growing for more events to be held on the Albert Pier, according to Ports of Jersey’s head of maritime operations.
Louise Stafford said regular markets and an annual festival were just some of the ways the area could be ‘opened up’ for more use by the public.
The Albert Pier has undergone a major refurbishment in recent years, which included the removal of an ageing passenger terminal building.
‘It used to be a commercial pier – we used to have a passenger terminal and passenger ferries running in. That’s all removed, and we’ve co-located everything to Elizabeth, as it makes sense to have one facility that provides a more premium arrivals-departures experience,’ Ms Stafford said.
‘So, we thought, how can we use that Albert space, focusing on the community? Can we open it up for more events? We were starting to get more and more interest for events to start there or be held there. For a long time the Dragon Boat Festival has always been held there, and we’re developing interest from similar parties.’
A mural was recently painted on the German bunker on the pier – celebrating the history of the area – and the area also hosted a Spanish market last month to coincide with the visit of Nao Victoria, a replica of the first ship to circumnavigate the world.
Ms Stafford continued: ‘People I don’t think fully recognise it yet as an area to use, so we need to encourage that use first and then see what the demand is.’
She added: ‘Can we have a regular Genuine Jersey market down there? Could we maybe have an annual festival down there? The work we’ve been doing with the last couple of replica vessels, like the Nao Victoria coming in, we’ve put on a bit of a Spanish-themed festival to celebrate that coming in because it’s lovely to see these kinds of replica vessels coming into the Harbour.’
