Constable Sadie Le Sueur-Rennard is ‘bitterly disappointed’ her proposal for £250,000 to be used to build a shed at the parish depot at Rue des Prés was deferred at Monday’s parish assembly.
The St Saviour’s Battle of Flowers Association has been using a warehouse at Warwick Farm for the last two years, but need to move out.
Following a lengthy discussion at the assembly during which concerns about the cost were raised, it was decided not to discuss the plans further with 69 ratepayers voting to defer the decision, and 15 voting to discuss the plans.
Despite having plans for the shed in place, Mrs Le Sueur-Rennard said that the failure to approve the funding could spell the end of the parish’s participation in the Battle of Flowers and Christmas parades.
‘Jersey Hemp did what they could to accommodate us, but it is cold in the shed and some helpers are in their 80s. There are 9,000 people in the parish and 100 do Battle. We have very little that’s for the community in the parish,’ she added.
‘I’m very disappointed but sadly I think it will end, and we are not the only parish. It’s very difficult, but this is part of Jersey.’
Dave Ryan, founder and chief executive of Jersey Hemp, said unfortunately it was no longer possible for the association to carry on using the site.
‘We support the Battle of Flowers; it’s a great event. We let them use [the shed] for free but we are expanding and we’ve had to tell them we can’t let them use it anymore. We are a business and we need the space.’
The St Saviour float Egypt, which won the Prix d’Excellence de Papier and came second in Class 2 at this year’s parade, was designed by pupils at St Saviour’s Primary School.
Mrs Le Sueur-Rennard wants to bring the proposal back to another assembly when more people are in the Island but said time was running out if they wanted to enter next year’s parade.
