THE Infrastructure Minister has said he will be speaking to Health Minister Tom Binet “to see if something can be done” with Kensington Place – amid calls for a temporary use for the site before it is developed as part of government’s plans for new healthcare facilities.
Constable Andy Jehan made the comments during yesterday’s States sitting in response to a question from St Helier Deputy David Warr.
It follows an update from Health Minister Tom Binet this week about the future of Kensington Place, which was earmarked for an ambulatory facility when the government outlined its New Healthcare Facilities Programme several years ago.
But, responding to a written question from Deputy Jonathan Renouf earlier this week, Deputy Binet said that the specific health services to be delivered from the site “are yet to be fully confirmed”.
“A draft functional brief describing the services at the ambulatory facility was developed when the New Healthcare Facilities Programme configuration of healthcare facilities was confirmed in 2022,” the Health Minister explained.
“However, given the time elapsed since then, and recognising the continual evolution of healthcare, especially digital healthcare, it has been essential to review and agree any changes in clinical requirements or service configuration needed to best support the health needs of the people of Jersey.”
Reiterating his previous calls for a “meanwhile use” for the site, Deputy Warr asked Mr Jehan if it would be possible to develop a temporary car park “to help the businesses in that area”.
Mr Jehan said that he would be “talking to my colleague from Health” to “see if something can be done”.
“We tried to do something before Christmas, but we weren’t able to do so and we’ll try again,” he added.
Speaking to the JEP afterwards, Deputy Warr contended that there was “a desperate need for parking around town” and for accessibility to businesses in Kensington Place.
“We’ve just got to become much more efficient at using these huge sites and think constructively about what we can do, instead of thinking if we do something that means we’re going to have to unravel lots of planning things and all the rest of it,” he said.
