THE government intends to take vacant possession of Havre des Pas Lido in order to carry out maintenance and secure the future operation of the site, the Assistant Infrastructure Minister has said.
Constable Simon Crowcroft told the JEP that there was a willingness to work with the Lido Steering Group on a community-based solution for the site’s future, but that such a move would be discussed once the current tenancy with the BeServed Group had concluded.
The tenant was given three months to vacate the site by Jersey Property Holdings earlier this summer and Mr Crowcroft, who also serves as Constable of St Helier, said this notice still applied.
He said: “The current Infrastructure Minister [Constable Andy Jehan] and his predecessor [Deputy Tom Binet] have really tried to find a solution that would have enabled the current tenant to stay at the site, but it wasn’t possible to reach a mutually satisfactory arrangement.
“We are seeking vacant possession of the site, which will mean much-needed maintenance work can take place on things like the toilets and showers and we can seek expressions of interest.
“It’s standard practice, when the government has a site like this, to advertise the opportunity and test the market in order to identify parties who are interested and then set up an agreement about how the site will operate.”
The Lido Steering Group, led by Deputy David Warr, is seeking to run the site using a similar model to the one adopted successfully for La Vallette Bathing Pools in Guernsey.
The group is in the process of setting up a charity named Love Our Lido, which it proposes would run the site in a partnership with government, and in a recent newsletter Deputy Warr said the new arrangement could be set up by the minister subject to 15 days’ notice being given to the States Assembly.
Mr Crowcroft said that the process was not as straightforward as the steering group was making out, but that the government would be willing to engage with Deputy Warr’s group and any other interested parties. The group was free to include the existing tenant in its future plans, he said, but this did not change the requirement for BeServed to vacate the site in the meantime ahead of the 31 October deadline.
Once the government has taken possession, Mr Crowcroft said he hoped the site’s future could be resolved swiftly.
“We don’t want there to be a long hiatus,” he said. “The intention would be to begin work straight away [after the end of October] and at the same time seek expressions of interest about how the site will operate with effect from early 2025.
“I think everyone wants a community-based solution, with better facilities for swimmers and others who use the Lido.”
News that the tenant had been given notice to quit the site emerged in July, when Marcus Calvani of BeServed criticised Mr Jehan for describing the Lido as a “liability”, while Deputy Warr criticised Jersey Property Holdings for demanding a 380% increase in rent from the tenant.
