Fort pool closure ‘was big mistake’
Monday 2nd November 2009, 3:00PM GMT.
The report concluded that the closure of the Fort pool was a mistake
THE decision to close the Fort Regent swimming pool in 2003 was a ‘fundamental mistake’, according to a Scrutiny review.
But the report has praised the way that the Active Card and Exercise Referral schemes have brought more people to the leisure centre.
The Education and Home Affairs Scrutiny panel, led by Deputy Roy Le Hérissier, says that more investment needs to be put into the Fort to cover maintenance, demolish the old cable car buildings and replace lost facilities on the ramparts.
And they say that the old swimming pool site should be demolished and replaced with a new pool attached to a hotel development. But they have rejected the idea of a new conference centre.
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you dont say!
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Tell us something we dont know! Fort Regent used to be a great place for families. I spent many a Saturday there in my childhood. Now it is a very sad shell and should be restored to a family centre which is AFFORDABLE !!!!!
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no sh*t sherlock, hope the scrutiny panel spent the required amount of time on coming to this conclusion, about 2 nanoseconds. We had a fantastic facility, that just needed a bit of loving care and attention, now it’s non-use will lead to much more cost to do something with.
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Everyone could see it. But no one would listen.
Does this not all sound somewhat familiar?
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Tell us something we don’t know! Another bungled states decision by those who think they know better than the public. When will it ever end?
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If they do decide on a ‘conference centre’, will the famous pillar in the middle be retained? Not a lot changes.
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A fine example of what is wrong here..to start with the pool was built 6 inches short of olympic standard, which precluded it being used to draw international contests etc. so having got that wrong they eventually close it in favour of anothre lame duck project that is as we speak being subsidised and why..why do we insist on getting everything wrong…NO accountability ,that’s why civil servants highly paid to make a pigs ear of things,hire on their pals,let the thing run way over budget and walk away as if nothing happened….in the private sector their feet wouldn’t touch the floor on the way out the door,But us suckers who have let”Common Purpose” and their mates take over, have become so used to it that it is now the norm,can you see what we have created by allowing this imbalance,our administration is now expected to fail, make excuses,and get it all wrong..because no one challenges it.
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As said before, you dont say!
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I guess better late than never!
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Clean the pool, fill it with water, myself and my family will use Fort Regent weekly, so will the rest of Jersey. Ive given up using other pools available in Jersey as its just too busy and costs too much.
“99% of the public did not want it closed it but you didn’t listen”
^ disappointed in jsy
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Yet another useless piece of information!!!
This is just another piece of States flannelling,
repeating what everyone on this Island knew except them, out of touch with the people -surely not!!!!
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Perhaps famillies are being discriminated against as the “powers” that be seem hell bent on removing any possible source of entertainment from the hell hole that Jersey has become.
If the subject of support for gay marriage were treat in the same way as famillies are over here they would indeed be crying discrimination.
Theres nothing to do in this place withsix months of winter and three months of a poor summer,stop discriminating against normal ordinary famillies for once!
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truthseeker(9)i googled common purpose, they would run the world if they could.
lets hope the next pool is fit for purpose and jersey can stage international events in it.
and withdraw the subsidy to the private pool.
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NO to the hotel development.
YES to the swimming pool. Agree with many others it should never have been taken away. There are many things that could be done up at the Fort to use it for affordable family entertainment
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Where is Stuart Syvret when he is needed?
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Its taken 6 years to work out closing the pool was a mistake. Hmmm figures. Doesn’t say much for other island decisions! Now hurry up and re-open it!
As for a hotel, rubbish idea, tourism and Jersey is finished. We priced ourselves out the market years ago. However many new campaigns the Island runs, its flogging a dead horse.
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Not so long ago in Jersey there was a discussion about being a staging post for the Olympics.
This is an opportunity to put an Olympic swimming pool up at Fort Regent and that car park with access from Snow Hill.
The Amaizin Maize gets lots of business from tourists by being well managed and up to date.
The investment in Gorey Castle the Central Market, The Cycle Path, and all the free leaflets you can print do less for tourism than a good Fort Regent.
If the waterfront had to be dramatically changed for financial reasons what would we have left in town ?
Just like the Millennium Park (coincidently there is a park on the ramparts of Fort Regent which is still maintained but hard to get to) it is a an area free to the public which increases quality of life in St Helier where the poorer people live and it is neglected and forgotten.
Damn those commuters who tell St Helier residents what they can and cant have.
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Why does the tax payer always have to foot the bill for our ‘governments’ co*k ups?
We all said that it was a bad idea in the first place to close the fort, yet our ideas to keep this facility open fell on deaf ears once again, we are given the answer ‘it is too expensive to renovate the pool’! Surely buy stopping this subsidy to the Aqua Splash; it will go a long way the pay for a revamp of the pool or is it a case our leaders have had us tied into something more than they are letting on to? A bit more forward planning is required, something every other business has to do to succeed.
The Active member side is working well, so why not put the rest of the fort out to tender, where someone with experience in running leisure entertainment/facility can do the job right first time at their own expense, is this too much to ask for. Of course it is, why because these people how know soo much more than the public haven’t come up with the idea themselves!
As for a hotel, what halfwit thought of this idea? We can hardly fill the hotels we have when we are at peak season. And hasn’t it recently been reported that visitor numbers have diminished again?
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Build a pool in the East of the Island.
We are desperate for decent sports facilities.
The Fort would do if need be.
Cant stick that Aquasplash.
Way too expensive.
Also what about petrol costs and pollution of me driving to Les Quennavais for a swim?? Im not going anywhere else as my active card covers the cost of a swim here.
The states were their usual selves, not listening to anyone else when making this decision years ago.
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Unless there is anything structuraly wrong with the pool itself, I would have thought that the building could be restored. It is basically a metal clad building, and such cladding could be renewed rather than the whole thing being demolished.
This pool and its building is very similar to the pool at Morden Park, South West London which was constructed in the late 1960′s and upon visiting the area last year, I was interested to see that the pool at Morden Park is still very much up and running.
Perhaps if free parking had been provided on the field directly to the south of the Fort pool, it would have ensured the pools ongoing popularity.
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Yes it was a great place. I’m with the “Duh” group.
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HELLOOOOOOOOOOOOO!! Well, what a surprise! As in all of these issues, “follow the money” and it always leads to the same place, which is big contracts for the big boys in the know.
PEOPLE, stand in line again and again, for decisions which are for local people and not for foreign investors, banks, and companies.
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If they pull the pool building down (the pool is damaged now and can’t support the weight of water any more) then they should restore the glacis field to its proper state as part of the historic fort. NO HOTEL!
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What a good article,
good that someone is still awake.
would never have come to the conclusion that it was a mistake to close the swimming pool…..
Those sitting in the states, must be super intelligent to come to this conclusion.
Wow.
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Oh, please, please get Fort Regent pool up and running again.
Big Mistake closing it, but all mistakes can be rectified, can’t they !!!
A Large percent of the Public will be for it.
Me for one.
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Did it really take a scruting panel to work this out? Unfortunately we go around and around in circles with this issue….. see previous post when someone suggested hotel, ski slope, church…..
SwimbeanPosted May 8, 2009 at 8:21 pm It’s seems that many people have talked about what to do with the Fort for so many years and thats all that has happened… talk… so fingers crossed they do something worthwhile at last….like scepticalbean(1) we’re in our 30’s and used the Fort all the time when we were younger. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE keep it for the general public and put in a 50 metre pool with a moveable boom (and flumes etc) to allow the pool to be divided so the public can always have access and clubs / associations / private hire etc can use at the same time.
Unlike the Aquasplash facility at the waterfront which has either got limited facilities open ie no flumes or outside area or the main pool is not accessible due to private hire! See this link – http://www.statesassembly.gov.je/documents/propositions/40066-15432-2352006.htm
Then in the next breath you have previous Education Minister Mike Vibert in 2008 saying.. before (unfortunately for the Fort) he got ousted! http://www.thisisjersey.com/2008/04/22/aquasplash-in-trouble/
WHY WHY WHY throw so much money into a facility like the Aquasplash which is run by a private operator, and often running a limited service when we could build a fit for purpose facility owned/managed and run by the island for the island on such a prestigious site as the Fort. We could host international aquatic competitions to the island, boosting visitor numbers and spending in the island. Add this to other quality sport/activity facilities and a revamped concert venue in the Gloucester Hall and it could be amazing!
Couldn’t tell you how much it would cost to redevelop the Fort pool now (in 1999 they were talking £4.5million) http://www.statesassembly.gov.je/documents/propositions/41384-11477.htm
but having subsidised losses at the Aquaspash by over £200,00 per annum since 2005 (due to be approx £400,000 in 2009) surely something needs to be done! http://www.thisisjersey.com/2009/03/02/taxpayers-splash-out-1000-a-day-on-waterfront-pool/
But hotel, ski slope, church?!?!? Lets try and cater for as many local residents as possible which none of the 3 previous options would appear to do! Fingers crossed someone listens!
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I remember “hanging out” at the fort as a kid (18 years ago)…
Bring back the Pool, Plutos playtime, the pool tables, the cafes, boneparts, jungle jims, the shows, the kareoke on a saturday afternoon, the cable cars, crazy golf, the pirate ship, the ghost train, the waltzers, even the ROLLER DISCO!!!!! What a great place it would be to take my children…..
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I whole heartedly agree with putting the money into restoring the original purpose – a pool! I don’t know anybody (other than the states) who would have agreed it was a good decision closing it in the first place.
Another hotel???!! Why on earth do we need another hotel when we clearly don’t fill the ones we have (still can’t believe Jersey Tourism didn’t use the poor pound this year to market Jersey as a place to go on a ‘foreign holiday’ but without the Euro)…anyway I digress.
How about builing a good, old fashioned, Butlins style, low cost, family leisure resort – it can cost very little to fly INTO the Island and would encourage far more people to stay on the Island.
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We should have a indoor ski slope built there.
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I totally agree with ‘I remember when…..’ (26). I used to spend the majority of my Saturdays at Fort Regent. We’d go up in the cable cars, go for a swim, go and get chips in the cafe and then hit the leisure area – ghost train, the ‘big’ snake slide, crazy golf and before the pirate ship there was a slide you’d go down on a doormat!!!! Great fun!!! What more would you want!! So….bring back the pool and everything else that went with it!!
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Am I imagining things or does anyone remember when loadsamoney was pumped into the new Le Rocquier School pool, the public was promised it would be a public facility for the East of the Islnad?
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I say bring back the cable cars, the amusement arcades, crazy golf and all the other fun things we used to do as kids there.
I’d also like to suggest an ice skating rink, a proper skateboard park, bmx ramps, and perhaps, even an artificial ski slope. There is so much potential and islanders and local kids could really benefit. It may even attract the odd tourist as well.
And… as well as improvements to the concert hall so we could then attract bigger and better acts to the island, how about a casino too.
All profits made from the casino could then be used to fund all the activities and facilities mentioned above so there wouldn’t be huge charges, meaning that all kids/families could enjoy.
But I’m afraid to get that project of the ground we would need politicians with imagination, motivation, enthusiasm and passion.
No chance then!
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It is so simple, when the Cable Cars went the Fort lost lots of its visitors.
Put in access from Snow Hill and build that car park where the Snow Hill car park is now.
As soon as there is access from town business men will be queuing up to take the sites overlooking town that are now unused.
There is a place at the top of the stairs at Snow Hill that is short enough to bridge with metal steps.
It is not a question of money here it is just a question of will.
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Re-opening it would be another big mistake.
Fort Regent died with all the other tourist attractions of the 90′s and it can’t be brought back to life.
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I’m with Bill *29 either a artificial ski slope or a “real” snowdome . In my humble opinion and as one who like to go on the occasional ski trip
its a winner. Hemel Hempstead has a new one as has East Anglia ( which is known for mountains !!! )and the original one in Tamworth is still going strong !!!!
Unfortunately the kind of vision needed to see thistype of facility through is sadly lacking in the boy Ozouf and his chums.
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A lot of if, buts and maybes here. Let’s not let nostalgia get in the way the facts.
Firstly, I spent most of my childhood and spent a summer working up at the Fort so I was and still am fond of it, but the fact is Fort Regent was never the right place to build a leisure centre from the outset. It’s location and inherent and unique fortress architecture meant a haphazard style centre where sports activities were designed around the space on offer rather than the a purpose built centre being built around the sports activities themselves. This lead to an inefficient use of space costing a fortune to run and man and was forever changing with an odd setup such as nightclubs next to jungle Jims. Back in the 60′s if the States had decided instead on a purpose built site no doubt 100% of the original facilities would be still in use today as they would have been cheaper to maintain and replace.
Speak to anyone involved in the running of the pool (where I worked) and they’ll tell you it was the wrong size and was due a major overhaul due to cost half that of building a new competition ready pool down at the Waterfront. They’ll also tell you that all public pools run at a loss so the Fort and Les Quennevais (not just the WF pool) rely on less costly sports activities to cover the pool losses.
The Fort pool would have run at a loss and probably even more than the WF pool because it was bigger, older so less efficient and the WF pool is run by a private company which in theory should make it more efficient.
The cable cars were also too expensive to run which is why they shut down years before the pool ever did. Fact is not enough people were using them to cover the costs of running them so to say they should be re-introduced to encourage business is simply flawed and wrong.
Despite remaining strong for 30 years the Fort was doomed from the outset and it should never have been transformed into a leisure centre but then I guess finding alternative space was the issue here.
Perhaps spending £10m on building an ice rink and other facilities would have been a good idea. But instead we’re going to get a town park.
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I think its something to do with an agreement between the states and aquasplash that there can’t be another pool within x amount of miles.
I think the Aquasplash should go and the fort remain – much better cheaper facilites!
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pool and ice rink, in making ice there is a trade off in energy to heat the pool.
and that large south facing roof , could have a lot of solar value.
did we here of tourism asking locals with any bed space to put up tourists this year?
they did do this years ago, if i remember correctly, when the beaches were packed from sun rise to sunset.
this years hotel, is a few years down the road block of apartments.
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Seems to have been a lot of dithering about deciding the future of the pool. Appears incredible that the old pool was built just 6 inches short of the international competitive length. What the Island desperately needs is full international standard swimming pool constructed, along with the refurbishment of the Fort Regent leisure and entertainment area, to include conference and possible hotel facilities.
Now is the time to attract both tourists and more business visitors back to Jersey, whilst the Pound is low, against the Euro and Dollar.
I cannot see the exchange rates changing much from range of 1.00 to 1.10 Euro’s and 1.50 to 1.60 US Dollars for the £Stg, for many years to come; therefore diversifying the economy, to rely less heavily on the crisis ridden finance industries.
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Moan moan moan. What a barrage of negativity…this site just encourages people to be negative. I think the fort should be replaced with a massive statue of the Chuckle Brothers and bring some light relief to the masses. Come on – Cheer Up Everyone!!!!!
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SELL IT……it would make a great Industrial Estate for the Diversification Industries we will need when the Finance Compaines pull out of Jersey…there is not enough warehouse space in this Island…this is close to the harbour….we could even get 18 wheelers up there………
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The posts I’ve read here indicate the perception is that the States made a mistake closing the pool.
How naiive – the States (well, a handful of them, what Syvret would probably call the establishment) very deliberately closed the pool in order to promote their grand plan down the waterfront.
Whether that’s right or wrong for the island is debateable … whether it was right for the vested interests of the establishment who forced this issue is probably less debateable.
And everyone criticise Syvret (rightly for his ridiculous approach) – I do feel some of his concerns are quite valid. Evidence is the problem though. Perhaps that’s why he’s so frustrated and causing so much friction just now …
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The whole Fort Area should be used for housing. It has great views and is near to where most of the jobs are, so reducing commuting. It could also house a town park. Lots of problems solved in one fell swoop. Plus the States own the land so it does not have to be bought.
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Fort Regent should continue as a venue for musicians and sports persona. To even comtemplate demolishing the fort for housing is criminal. It should continue as a focal point for all islanders to enjoy.
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Real shame it closed-it was great in the 70s-lovedthe skating and the pool.Cheap as well…
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YES better late then never eh!!!!!!!!!!
A few years ago I called the department in charge of what goes on at the fort in regards to the skate park and to bring it back to the Fort. The answer I got was too much vandalism and they weren’t prepared to keep forking out for it. ( which I can understand)
Soooo why not get the kids to raise the money for it, if they are the ones vandalising it.. The way we teach children today is, if you can’t look after it, it’s gets taken away.. What does that teach them?? NOTHING…..
I loved the Fort, Funland, Fantastic tropical gardens etc when I was I kid..
I say bring it all back..
The Odeon would be perfect for a little arcade centre, cafe etc, now that the new park will be close by.
Bring back the swimming pool, skate park and aquarium, dance studios mini golf and much more back up to the Fort….
If things get vandalised and the states are too tight to pay out for repairs etc then get the community involved..
Kids have nothing to do these days.. UP at the Fort kids had part time jobs back in my day, with the mini golf and the cafe etc.. Which would give them a little independence and keep them off the streets..
I mean it isn’t that difficult to come up with these idea’s.
If we start fighting as an Island and stand our ground then maybe, just maybe we’ll get some where….
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32 Big Bean,
I’m will you as per my blog before. I didn’t think about ski slopes etc but I could see it working….
Maybe if we got a petition going with enough signatures or a facebook page..
Mmmmmmm I’m not great with computer but I’ll see what I can set up and will let you know of the link so people can add themselves to it
As I said if we stand strong as a community maybe we can do some thing about it
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Whinge, whinge, whinge! everyone’s so unhappy with the way Jersey’s run, but does nothing about it- I just left!
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The whole fort should be bought upto date. Never mind wasting money on the town park. If done right the fort could provide a place for kids and families alike to go again. Just like they did in the 70′s and 80′s.
No more complaints from the teens, no where for us to go, nothing to do. Think about it, you know it makes sense!
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you all sit there and moan……you voted them in!
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We don’t want any chavvy Butlins or the such like spoiling Jersey for the true Jersey residents, i.e. people like me who come from the UK, live here for 5-10 years and work in the finance industry. It is our Jersey now. You’ll have it back in 20-30 years when the finance industry has gone and you can go back to making a subsistence living growing potatos and running dodgy boarding houses.
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Said as seen,
Your Jersey now!!!!!!! REALLY???
I would love Jersey to go back to it’s old ways, at least it would be safer, bring back the work permit, the Island was a much safer place.
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Pool – YES
Hotel – NO – can you imagine something like the Radison up there ??? (and they would just want to turn it into flats after a couple of years anyway…)
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No.51 There is many a potato growing and more than one dodgy boarding house in the UK. When you return you can check this out.
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Matt #42
I’m not sure I get your post. Exactly what vested interests do the “Establishment” have down at the Waterfront? The land is either publicly owned (i.e. by you and me) or it is on 99 year lease to private UK chain companies. No States member, unless you care to enlighten me, has any personal vested interest in any of them.
There’s no conspiracy here only the fact that Fort Regent pool was long past its sell by date… Pools haven’t been made 33 1/3 metres for 30 years!
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I would certainly use it again, it was by far the best facility the island had to offer any sports minded person. The politician that made the decision to close it down should pay out of their own pockets and see the project through. How about we ask our favourite developers to re-develope it for free and give something back to the island too!
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when was the last the gov.je listened to the people? Petitions like, say NO to gst, save the fort, no waterfront hotel to name but a few have all ended up as NIL return.
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Don’t forget the Mid-Millennium Park
We keep voting for these people (or don’t bother voting at all) so who is really to blame?
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….doesn’t agree!! My voting slip didn’t have the names of hardly any of the muppets that are currently ‘in power’…
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