MORE than £300,000 has been spent on maintenance of the Havre des Pas bathing pool over the past three years, it emerged in the States Assembly yesterday.
Infrastructure Minister Andy Jehan said he would be “delighted” to talk to any interested party, such as Jersey Heritage, who would “take this liability off my hands”.
Deputy David Warr initiated the line of questioning, saying that maintenance of the “Havre des Pas complex” seemed to be proving a “major burden” on the Infrastructure Department and asking about the costs.
Deputy Jehan said: “There is no specific allocated budget for maintenance of the Havre des Pas complex. Funds are acquired mainly from the reactive maintenance pot.”
He said that, on average, around £100,000 a year had been spent over the past three years and that £33,000 had so far been put towards the site this year.
“These costs mostly go toward cleaning terraces and public lavatories, running repairs to sluice gates and when the structure also requires attention,” Deputy Jehan clarified.
He added that the government funded a lifeguard presence in summer months, but this was not included in the cost of maintenance.
He further revealed that in the past two years, the site had generated no revenue, no money from utilities and no rental income.
Deputy Jehan said: “This year, a more frequent scrubbing service is being funded to mitigate the build-up of seaweed on terraces and underwater steps which is intended to go some way to mitigating the slip hazard in response to requests from the community.
“We are also funding some redecoration of external façades, which are showing the effects of exposure to winter storms, and some works to the roof.”
Deputy Warr asked whether another organisation, such as Jersey Heritage, had been asked to run the site.
Deputy Jehan responded: “I would be delighted to talk to any interested party who would take this liability off my hands.”
Last summer, the Havre des Pas bathing pool earned a spot in an anthology showcasing 66 of the most beautiful saltwater pools in the world.
However, a month later, St Helier Constable Simon Crowcroft said numerous concerns about the lido had remained unaddressed, after an Islander wrote to the JEP complaining about the bathing pool’s “sadly neglected” and “potentially dangerous” state.
