The family court service could be moved into Piquet House, which is in the Royal Square, if funding can be found within Treasury Department budgets, it has emerged.
Infrastructure Minister Kevin Lewis has signed a ministerial decision agreeing to support the request from the Bailiff’s Office to transform the former military police station. The Bailiff’s Office is now required to make a capital bid to the Treasury Department to adapt Piquet House before the deal can be completed.
The ministerial decision states: ‘The minister agreed, as recommended by Jersey Property Holdings, for the Bailiff’s Office to be supported in making a capital bid to the Treasury for adapting Piquet House for use as family courts, along with an arrangement for annual funding to cover the maintenance of the building.’
It has not been made clear how much money would be needed in order to carry out the changes.
Piquet House has remained empty and unused for a number of years, despite previous plans for the Royal British Legion to move in.
Environment Minister John Young recently called for a review of how the States managed their property portfolio and cited the fact that Piquet House had been empty for so long as an example of how public buildings were not being properly managed. In 2014 Deputy Young successfully persuaded the States to agree to keep the building in public ownership rather than sell it off.
