THE long-running Havre des Pas Lido saga looks to have finally been brought to a close with the announcement of a new operator out of the site.
Jersey Business, which was enlisted to carry out a new tender process after an independent review found issues with the initial exercise, confirmed yesterday that Lido Jersey had been appointed to run the site.
Lido Jersey, the trading name for First Point Property Services, will take over responsibility for the management and maintenance of the site, including the pool on 1 April.
Director of Lido Jersey, Marcus Troy, said: “This marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter for the Lido. We look forward to sharing our community-focused vision and plans for the site in the coming weeks.“
The café and kiosk were previously managed by The Lido (Havre des Pas) Limited with Jersey Property Holdings responsible for the public facilities.
Marcus Calvani, from The Lido (Havre des Pas) Limited, said: “Over the past decade, working alongside our passionate team, the Lido has evolved into a recognised island brand, hosting major public celebrations, large-scale events, weddings and gatherings, while fostering a strong sense of pride within the local community.
“We are immensely proud of the foundations that have been laid and are encouraged that others recognise and will take forward the strength and value that’s been created. We sincerely wish Lido Jersey every success in their future endeavours and look forward to seeing how this important St Helier landmark develops in the years ahead.”
Having initially been named as a preferred bidder, Love Our Lido had this status revoked when negotiations with the government broke down, with a decision then taken to award the contract to rival bidder First Point.
However, this sparked protests and it later emerged there had been failings within the tender process, prompting Infrastructure Minister Andy Jehan to restart the bidding.
Despite Love Our Lido re-entering the second tender process, the community group withdrew over concerns about the cost of the running the site, with the government offering a £60,000-a-year figure, while Love Our Lido estimated that it would need closer to £200,000.
