Haut de la Garenne to open as activity centre
Tuesday 12th April 2011, 2:58PM BST.
Jersey Accomodation and Activity Centre’s Kazz Padidar, John Fox and Tula Skinner at the site
HAUT de la Garenne is reopening under a different name as an outdoor activity centre and hostel.
The former children’s home has been rebranded as the Jersey Accommodation and Activity Centre and will be run by Jersey Adventures and Jersey Odyssey – two local companies offering land- and sea-based activities from kayaking and coasteering to walking, rock climbing and skydiving.
It is due to receive its first guests on Tuesday 26 April and will offer bed-and-breakfast accommodation to families and groups throughout the year, with optional half-board.
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This all seems rather sudden. When was it decided, who made the decision and did the two local companies who now are involved compete in some sort of tendering process?
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This building should have been raised to the ground.
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Great use for the building and perfect for holidays with kids or a couple days of fun, used Jersey Adventures in the past for Coasteering, climbing and their Bunker tours seemed much better service than any competitors so great achievement for them to take this on!
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I think it’s a great idea but I do agree with Dave. In these times we have to ensure best value and I don’t remember seeing a proper tender process for the building and land?
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We should demolish it; not one brick should be left on top of another.
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Don’t the Lifeguards live there?
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Cathy: I don’t remember seeing a proper tender process for the building and land?
Cathy this is The Jersey Way
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Good news its not becoming Dandara flats!
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A disgrace – who made this decision and when was it made. Were care leavers consulted?
Abuse happened there – respect for those who suffered please.
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JG (9).
Your suggestion would be to leave the building dormant? Time to move on I think, and as has been mentioned already – it won’t be turned into flats!
Mike (7)
I assume the 2 companies approached the states to use the building, rather than the other way round. If so, there wouldn’t normally be a tender process.
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2 and 5.
Why should it be demolished?????
Foolish comments.
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Do you think the guests will be able to sleep at night when they find out about its previous use?
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demolish, yes, great idea, let’s demolish every building in history where abuse has occured – that makes everything go away. Please, get real, contribute worthwhile argument and comment
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There was abuse at Mont Orgueil Castle.Its still open.
I guess that the majority of us who went through HDLG came through unscathed. The recorded abuse here was not on a par with the U.K. Wests house of murder, which was rightly demolished.
In general i would say blame the people,not the building.
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perhaps by using this building for positive purposes it may right some wrongs, yet remain as a reminder so that those who did suffer will not be forgotten
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Colin #2
Following your blinkered logic we’d need to raze to the ground all properties in Jersey where any kind of abuse had occurred. It’s not the buildings fault and razing it to the ground won’t change anything.
Better it is used to finance itself. Even better for it to be run by local companies who will not only contribute to the local economy but also provide activities for tourists and children alike.
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Seems from reading the article and from using Jersey adventures in the past that they are really trying to turn a negative into a positive. Even though there have been comments about the current economic climate and about getting the most financially out of this new venture, I believe that what this can give back to the community in events, cheap acoomodation, great activities is better than financial gain.
They are offering free meeting rooms and events for charities. I think this could be great for Jersey as a whole. Lets see what comes of it.
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Think there should be a plaque/children statue put up to honor those that suffered here.
If the building is being used for the good of the Island all well and good. BUT Should have a percentage of the takings to be donated to Jersey Cruelity Childrens’s Trust.
As goodwill,Seeing as they bypassed the tender issue.
MY TENDER
If it does get knocked down I want any granite that is there. So I am first to ask therefore I get. SHHHHHHH don’t tell anyone else, think that is how you put a tender into action?
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Its about time because I am sick to death of hearing about this minority who whimper about the Haut de la Garenne enquiry as if nothing else ever happens in life. Use the building for anything, its only bricks and mortar for goodness sake.
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17 Freddie: Well put, totally agree, less about of the cost, more about the positive gains. Children love adventure. Can we have more of this positive thinking.
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What’s the point of leaving a building dormant? It’s a waste of money.
Yes, some abuse happened here, but why should that stop the building being put to good use? It’s not Auschwitz, move on.
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Now can our glorious leaders do something useful with other used public property – why has the old Girls’ College been allowed to moulder away for years – this could have been used for ‘affordable’ housing??
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Great, nothing to do with Dandara and something to do for young people outdoors, well done John and Petulla!
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