THE historic Havre des Pas bathing pool could be “transformed”, a St Helier Deputy has said – if Jersey is willing to set aside inter-island rivalries and follow Guernsey’s example.
Representatives from the Island recently paid a visit to St Peter Port to learn more about the La Vallette bathing pools, where responsibility is shared between the government and a not-for-profit charity.
Concerns have been raised about the state of the Havre de Pas facility in recent months after it emerged that the government had served notice on the company holding the tenancy for the restaurant and event space The Lido to quit the site, which has hosted a bathing pool since the 19th century.
Deputy David Warr, who represents St Helier South, was among the members of the Lido Steering Group to make the trip to Guernsey and reported back to a meeting of the Havre des Pas Improvement Group.
Speaking to the JEP, Deputy Warr said there were strong similarities between the current situation in Jersey and the one facing Guernsey in 2018.
“La Vallette was crumbling and did not have the levels of investment required, and a new funding mechanism was required.
“The site was effectively split, with the government having responsibility for the refurbishment and maintenance of the pools, while the charitable trust Vive La Vallette raised money to finance the rebuilding of the café and changing rooms.
“There have been some hiccups along the way, but La Vallette has been transformed and is very well used by people of all generations.”
Involving a wide cross-section of the community would be essential, Deputy Warr added, with the steering group recognising that it would be necessary to raise funds that would match investment by government.
“We need to work on empowering the community and making people feel they are part of the solution,” he said. “That’s something we really picked up from Guernsey – there’s been huge public support for La Vallette and it was inspiring to see what they have done.”
La Vallette was reopened in 2022 after a three-year construction project and has subsequently been highlighted by the Royal Institute of British Architects as an example of successful regeneration.
Helen Bonner-Morgan, operations director for Vive La Vallette, explained that surplus funds from the café at the site were reinvested into the upkeep of the facility.
“Our focus has been on building something for the community and improving people’s lives, and to be able to host delegates from Jersey and show how they might adopt the same perspective is something we were happy to do,” she said.
Deputy Warr said he was seeking to maintain a dialogue with the government over the future of the site and hoped that this would result in a positive outcome.
After being criticised for describing the Lido as a “liability” earlier this year, Infrastructure Minister Andy Jehan said last month that the site was “a unique and valuable part of the Island’s heritage that must be preserved and enjoyed by as many people as possible”.
Mr Jehan added that the value placed in the site by the government explained why more than £300,000 had been spent on the property in the past three years, with a further £500,000 earmarked to be invested over the next 12 months.
