THE Government has outlined plans for a new further and higher education campus in town as part of its 25-year capital investment strategy. But, after years of stalled plans to redevelop the deteriorating Highlands College, will it finally happen this time? Jodie Yettram reports.
THE plan to relocate the Island’s only further and higher education institution is set out in the Investing in Jersey strategy.
Published this week, the 25-year programme includes a pipeline of infrastructure projects across housing, public services and infrastructure that will be ringfenced by a designated fund.
The strategy includes proposals for hundreds of new affordable homes a year, upgrades to roads and drainage systems, investment in sports facilities and the long-awaited redevelopment of Fort Regent.
But today, the JEP will be focusing on improvements within the education sector as part of a wider series looking in depth at the government’s capital proposals.
What does the report say?
The Investing in Jersey Programme reads: “The long-term plan to modernise Jersey’s education and youth facilities includes the phased refurbishment of schools to meet modern standards, the delivery of a new town primary school, and the redevelopment of Rouge Bouillon primary school.
“A new Further and Higher Education campus will be built in St Helier, improving access for students, strengthening links with employers, and supporting the town economy.
“Investment in youth services will also create safer, more accessible spaces that support early intervention and personal development.”
Why move Highlands into town?
The plan is to move Highlands College from its current campus – spread across 11 buildings – into a single, purpose-built facility in the centre of town.
Assistant Education Minister Carina Alves said the new location would help forge stronger links with employers and bring more people into town each day.
She said: “A modern campus in a more central location will increase daily footfall into St Helier, therefore supporting retail, hospitality, and the wider town economy.”
“Improved links between education and local employers will support skills development and training for key sectors, as well as creating clearer progression routes for students through academic, technical, and vocational pathways.
“This includes increased opportunities for internships, apprenticeships, and community-based projects. Students will additionally benefit from an inclusive environment which provides the space, facilities, and flexibility required to meet the Island’s educational needs.”
The government also explained that a town-based campus would be easier to reach for many students, particularly those who do not drive. It would also make it more practical for adults to attend evening courses after work, while reducing traffic in the already congested Mont Millais area.
Principal Jo Terry-Marchant said a centralised campus could allow Highlands to bring its services under one roof and make use of commercial spaces around town.
One example being explored is repurposing units at Liberty Wharf for specialist training in sectors like hospitality or hair and beauty.
She said: “There are pre-existing sites that could be repurposed at very little cost, and we’ve reduced the space that we’re taking up as a provider. So it’s a win-win, really, economically and socially.
“The connections will be so much closer with businesses that it would just make life easier for them and for us, because Highlands is all about training and skills. Whatever your age, it is different from a school, so it has to be really close to employers and to the government.”
What’s wrong with the current site?
Highlands College currently operates across 11 separate buildings of varying age and condition – with only four being fully accessible for disabled students.
Last month, Ms Terry-Marchant wrote to the Children, Education and Home Affairs Scrutiny Panel warning that the campus was “outdated, inflexible and no longer fit for purpose”.
She said that “immediate intervention” was required to mitigate “several urgent infrastructure risks” across the Highlands estate, as well as developing learning spaces and improving accessibility requirements.
Speaking to the JEP this week about the Investing in Jersey plan, she said: “Each time we have a student with an accessibility need, we make it work. It’s often expensive, but clearly it’s the right thing to do. With a modern campus, that wouldn’t be an issue.”
Ms Terry-Marchant added: “We’ve got a £3.2 million government spend on maintenance. So obviously, if you take the analogy of your own home, you wouldn’t want to keep spending lots of money on repairing it when it would be better to have a new home that was in good condition.”
This was echoed by Deputy Catherine Curtis, who chairs the Scrutiny Panel, who admitted to being “shocked to see the conditions that our young people were expected to work in” following a visit to the College last year.
“Water dripping through ceilings being collected in buckets, big holes in the roof, inadequate equipment. Adults are not expected to work in an office space like this. It was a poor reflection on how Jersey values its young people,” she said.
A 2022 condition survey and the subsequent Strategic Outline Case – submitted as part of the 2024–2027 Government Plan for capital projects – identified fire safety risks, faulty boilers and pipework, the need for electrical and heating system upgrades, and the replacement of a damaged ventilation system.
How would it be funded?
The government has said the move could be part-funded by selling the current Highlands site for housing.
Paul Wylie, chief officer of the Cabinet Office, said: “The real benefit is what you do with the site on the top of the hill because it is prime estate for good-sized suburban housing for families.”
Ms Terry-Marchant said that the plan to ring-fence the funding for the new campus gave her more confidence than previous proposals.
“This Investing in Jersey programme will ring-fence funding, not just for Highlands, but for other major projects that the Island needs. It means that every time there’s an election, we won’t start from scratch again.
“This is the first time that there’s a public document that highlights the campus as a priority. To me, that’s a step change, and I’m very hopeful and positive.”
She explained that previous efforts to redevelop the campus were delayed due to the pandemic and other capital projects.
A 2016 feasibility study recommended a partial rebuild and an outline business case was approved shortly before the pandemic.
In 2018, former Highlands College Principal Steve Lewis unveiled an ambitious plan for a £60 million revamp. The proposal was to rebuild a modern campus on the existing site, while keeping the historic 1896 Turner building.
However, the project was paused as other capital projects, including the new hospital, were prioritised.
In 2022, a town masterplan included the possibility of relocating Highlands College to the existing General Hospital site after the new hospital is completed at Overdale – but that option was not pursued.
What other education projects are planned?
Alongside the proposed Highlands move, the Investing in Jersey strategy includes other investments in school buildings and youth services.
The government has said it will “carry out a phased refurbishment programme for all public schools, beginning with those in the poorest condition or where demand is growing.”
A new town primary school is planned at the former Jersey Gas site on the north side of town, which the government said aims to address “current capacity pressures and ensure access to modern, inclusive facilities”.
Meanwhile, the government has also said it is to redevelop Rouge Bouillon School, replacing “outdated accommodation” with new facilities that support a “better learning environment”.
The government has backed plans to redevelop the former Ann Street Brewery site into a new youth centre – which would include a rooftop football pitch, dance studio, boxing gym, climbing wall, sports hall, sensory room, and counselling and multi-use spaces.
The centre would also become the new home for the Youth Enquiry Service (YES), which provides advice and support to young people and is currently based at La Colomberie.
The project is intended to meet what the government has described as a “long overdue” need for youth facilities in the north of town.
