ADDITIONAL funding of nearly £2 million is needed for the project to replace Dewberry House, it has emerged.
Treasurer Richard Bell told the Corporate Services Scrutiny Panel in a hearing on Friday that, due to inflation, the specialist capital project needs a further £1.7 million to realise what would be Jersey’s first purpose-built centre for victims of sexual assault.
It comes after Home Affairs Minister Deputy Mary Le Hegarat confirmed that the project – which has been in the pipeline for a number of years – is currently “stationary” because inflation and material costs had significantly exceeded the £5 million originally set aside for the build.
Scrutiny politicians were told on Friday that the funding for the now-£6.7 million project will now have to be decided as part of the government’s budget for 2026–29, which will not come to the States Assembly for approval until much later this year.
Intended to replace the current Dewberry House Sexual Assault Referral Centre in St Saviour, which has been deemed no longer fit for purpose by the Home Affairs Department, the new development was due to open by May 2025 at the former Heathfields Children’s Centre on the corner of Bagatelle Road and Bagatelle Lane.
Planning permission was granted for the project in November 2024.
As the JEP reported on Friday, the delay has drawn criticism from politicians who have voiced support for tackling violence against women and girls in Jersey, with Deputy Lucy Stephenson – who is vice-chair of the Corporate Services Scrutiny Panel – describing the news as “incredibly disappointing”.
In Friday’s hearing, Treasury Minister Deputy Elaine Millar added that, though she had seen reports on Dewberry House in the media, she had yet to discuss the matter with her ministerial colleagues.
