decision time looms for Fort Regent AT LAST, by PAUL MUNDY, CEO, 20/20 MAGAZINE T


he year 2017 will be a momentous one for Fort Regent, that iconic fortress brooding over St Helier. It will either be the year that the Fort begins a new era of useful redevelopment, or it will be the year that the structure becomes a serious drain on the public purse as its infrastructure begins to crumble into decay. Already there are sums of around £16m or more being spoken of as the likely cost needed just to keep it standing still and prevent it further deteriorating from the pretty poor state it is in at the moment. Some money is being allocated each year to make sure it keeps the elements at bay and doesn't get into a dangerous state but parts of the structures built in the 1960s


and 1970s, including the electrical fittings and the glass roof, are all past their sell-by date and require urgent attention


Either way the taxpayer is likely to have to foot some of the bill, even though the States is reluctant to devote any substantial sum towards it when there is so little spare money available to spend. The Fort is now beginning to suffer from neglect, which is not surprising when you consider it has consistently fallen down the list of States priorities over many years, the last time was last year when it failed to receive any funding in the next Medium Term Financial Plan. Now it might have to shoot right up close to the top of the list of priorities as


the cost of ‘kicking the can down the road’ becomes obvious.


The Fort is a huge structure - covering more than three acres - and if marketed and developed effectively it could be adapted to a multitude of uses, something unlikely to be lost on private developers potentially interested in taking it on. That is still the hope, although the politician currently charged with overseeing the Fort's future believes that government will have to play a role in any future redevelopement and contribute to the total costs involved, possibly by investment in making access easier.


Steve Pallett, Constable of St Brelade, became Chairman of the Fort's steering group 18 months ago, and recently changed its name to Future Fort 50, to mark the 50th anniversary of the Fort Regent project next year and the minimum of 50 more years the group would like to get out of the regeneration of the Fort.


As Assistant Minister at Economic Development, Tourism, Sport and Culture, Steve is particularly well suited to look into the Fort's future because of its key role as a sporting venue. That role will remain, and there is no question of ejecting any sports


Page 90 20/20 - The Island


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