TAXPAYERS will contribute £60,000 per year to the running of the Havre des Pas Lido as part of a nine-year lease formally agreed by the Infrastructure Minister.
In a report presented to the States yesterday, Constable Andyy Jehan confirmed he had accepted a recommendation from Jersey Property Holdings to enter into a lease with First Point Property Services Limited – the company behind newly appointed operator Lido Jersey.
Under the agreement, the government will not charge rent for the premises. Instead, the operator will be responsible for the “full maintenance and repair of the listed structure”, reflecting the costs involved in running and preserving the landmark.
Taxpayers will contribute £15,000 per quarter – or £60,000 a year – towards the running and maintenance of the site, with the figure increasing annually in line with the Jersey Retail Price Index.
The report states that the operator’s proposal includes running the café and restaurant commercially to support pool users, residents and visitors to Havre des Pas, while also promoting “greater community involvement” and initiatives aimed at improving the public offering at the Lido.
Having initially been named as a preferred bidder, community group 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 Mr 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 running the site, estimating that it would need around £200,000 per year.
