Parish of St Helier closes nursery

Friday 13 January 2017

St Helier is to close one of its day nurseries saying it’s no longer economically viable.

It’s estimated Avaranche Day Nursery will make of loss of around £96,000 this financial year – something the parish says it can’t sustain.

It’ll close in August.

It’s claimed the financial problems are down to a host of reasons including the nursery’s position and layout, other competing businesses, States’ policy, and Planning’s refusal to allow the parish to go ahead with a scheme that would have seen the nursery re-located.

Avaranche – which was opened in 1994 – is located on the outskirts of town on Trinity Hill. The parish says this makes it relatively inaccessible. It’s also an old building with five rooms on two floors which means it is expensive to staff.

The parish claims the situation has been made worse by States’ policy. In its view Nursery Education Funding has created uncertainty within the industry, and the opening of new nursery classes at both Springfield and Trinity Schools has had a detrimental effect on nursery numbers.

Finally, the parish fells it’s been let down by Planning. St Helier had wanted to demolish Maison de Ville - a former car home on Old St John’s Road – and replace it with 29 extra care home and a 60-place day nursery, but permission was refused.

The parish notes the closure will be an unsettling time for employees, parents and children and says it undertakes to work with everyone affected by the decision, and to do everything possible to assist all concerned.