THE politician spearheading a campaign to build new facilities for young people in St Helier has outlined details of how he hopes to have elements of the scheme operational within nine months.
While the former Jersey Gas site on the north side of town lies unused after being earmarked as the location for a future primary school, Deputy David Warr is seeking support from States Members for the initiative to bring in a “meanwhile use” of the site.
The St Helier South representative, part of an initiative dubbed The Play Collaborative, said that if his proposition is passed next week, the intention would be to move ahead quickly.
“I’ve had initial discussions with Planning and believe it would be realistic to have a planning application determined within 12 weeks of being submitted,” he said. “The Bridging Island Plan supports meanwhile use, which should mean an application like this would be fast-tracked.”
The former showroom on the site would potentially require electrical, plumbing and flooring work, which Deputy Warr said he believed could be carried out so that the building, earmarked for an indoor skating and climbing facilities, could be operational by the end of March next year.
Drawings prepared by the group show how other parts of the site, to be developed in phases, would host an extension to the Millennium Town Park, including an adventure playground, and a “pump” cycle track.
Deputy Warr said he believed “a few hundred thousand pounds” would cover the cost of work on the showroom building as part of an overall cost he estimated at around £3 million.
“It’s not a question of expecting this all to come from government, we’d be looking to attract social impact funding from charities, the private sector and philanthropic donations, and may also seek support from [the Parish of] St Helier,” he said.
Deputy Warr acknowledged that Children’s Minister Richard Vibert had recently stated that a new Youth Centre for St Helier on the former Ann Street Brewery site could be open by the middle of 2028, but said the two schemes would complement each other, and that this was too long to wait, with more challenging planning hurdles to be overcome for the Ann Street scheme.
“I’ve been saying this a lot, but the need really is now – the provision for young people in St Helier is non-existent,” he said. “There are new residential schemes adding to what’s already a densely populated area, Fort Regent is being closed and other facilities aren’t accessible.
“The Children and Young People survey showed 62% of respondents felt their views were listened to, but only 29% felt sufficient action was taken in response – it’s time to deliver for young people, and if someone says there isn’t a need for this then I’d like to see their evidence.”
Investing in facilities for young people would help tackle the issue of poor physical and mental health among young people, Deputy Warr added, citing evidence that 40% of young people were overweight or obese while the caseload for the Children and Adolescent Mental Health Service almost tripled from 721 to 1,949 between 2019 and 2024.
Deputy Warr said he was agnostic about whether the site should eventually become the location for a primary school, adding that he believed much of the equipment could be relocated to a site such as Fort Regent at a later date if necessary
Members of the skateboarding community are among those involved. Natalie Mayer, founder of Skate Space, said:
“This proposition offers a real chance for young people, in a spot they already gravitate towards with the many schools nearby – we need sport and play opportunities that can be put in place quickly.
“Every year without proper provision, especially in St Helier which is already lacking, means another year where children miss out, and the result is poor health, low mood, and lives shaped around phones because there’s nothing better on offer.
“This idea has so much exciting creative potential, and genuinely puts children first.”
