SATELLITE skate parks in parish locations, rather than one larger park in St Helier, are likely to receive future government investment, the Infrastructure Minister has indicated.
During questions without notice in the States Assembly, Constable Andy Jehan outlined how £1 million allocated in the latest Government Plan was likely to be spent.
Mr Jehan said that around £300,000 was set to be spent on improvements to the existing Les Quennevais facility, including floodlighting, while he had also met St Clement Constable Marcus Troy about a skate park in his parish, and would be speaking to other Constables in the near future about satellite parks.
He said: “We have one of the largest skate parks in the British Isles, possibly Europe, at Les Quennevais – it is a fantastic facility, and we are seeking to do two or three smaller parks rather than one larger one.”
The minister’s comments were the clearest indication so far that the new government may not proceed with plans for a skate park at South Hill.
In 2021, the States agreed to build a replacement town skate park at South Hill in addition to the Les Quennevais skate park. Progress towards this development was slow, although in October the assistant minister who at the time held responsibility for sport, Deputy Lucy Stephenson, said the project remained a priority for the government.
Following the change of government in January, with Mr Jehan having taken on the sports brief, Deputy Stephenson has continued to push for the St Helier skate park.
She also challenged Chief Minister Lyndon Farnham on the subject during question time, citing recent comments by him about “reprioritising” some areas of government investment.
Deputy Stephenson asked the Chief Minister for examples of which projects might be cancelled, including the St Helier skate park.
Deputy Farnham said this suggestion “sounds like speculation”, but repeated his view that government sought to do too much, with ministers looking to identify areas that were not essential.
Details of the proposed reprioritisation are likely to be shared in a strategic policy document set to be published in early April, he said.
A planning application for a skate park at South Hill submitted in March 2021 was withdrawn in 2022 over concerns about heritage and ecology, with officials working with key stakeholders and contractors to make the revised park plans more landscape-oriented and connected to the surrounding environment.
In early 2023, officials indicated that feasibility work was still continuing and that it was hoped a planning application could be lodged in early 2024.
