THE proceeds of the £1.3 million sale of a former care facility in St Martin will go towards supporting care-experienced Islanders, the government has confirmed.
Infrastructure Minister Andy Jehan last week signed a ministerial decision approving the sale of Aviemore to the Jersey Development Company, the government’s “regeneration arm”.
The property was previously on sale for a minimum of £3m.
New homes are planned for the site, a former five-unit specialist accommodation facility which was operated by the Special Needs Service, neighbouring Haut de la Garenne.
Mr Jehan said the £1.3m sale was a “strategic step forward”. And he added that additional payments would be made if planning permission was granted for the new development.
In the States Assembly this week, Chief Minister Lyndon Farnham claimed these further payments could bring the total amount to more than £3m. Deputy Farnham told States Members the site had been put up for tender but of five bids, none were good enough, and so it was eventually sold to the JDC.
In his statement, Mr Jehan said: “The full value of the revenue generated from this sale will be allocated to the Endowment Fund for Care-Experienced Islanders, ensuring that this decision delivers meaningful and lasting support for our community.”
The JDC said that the sale of any government-owned property was subject to a 15-day “cooling off” period.
“Once the transaction is complete, the Jersey Development Company will advance plans for the redevelopment of the site for new homes,” according to the statement.
The JDC has not specified how many homes will be built on the site.
Aviemore, which overlooks Grouville Bay, previously housed individuals “with learning disabilities who have the most complex needs and are in crisis”.
The facility was previously subject to a number of Health and Safety Inspectorate orders relating to a lack of written policy or procedure in protecting employees from “violent or aggressive incidents” from clients.
The building has stood empty since a phased closure that started in 2021, after it was linked to an allegation of child abuse, and in 2017, the Jersey Care Inquiry heard that staff had assaulted young Islanders with disabilities.
In 2023, then-Chief Minister Kristina Moore said that the site would be sold and that she wanted the proceeds to be used to create a fund for “improving outcomes for care-experienced Islanders”.
