South Hill skatepark plans tweaked to address heritage concerns

Friday 26 February 2021

The first of two planning applications for new skateparks in Jersey has been submitted, with the next one due next week after changes are made in response to concerns it could destroy history dating back half-a-billion years.

Plans for a Les Quennevais site went in today, as they were further advanced than those for South Hill.

The latter is undergoing tweaks in response to historic preservation and road safety issues raised by campaigners and States Members.

An experienced Société Jersiaise geologist previously told Express that building a park on the South Hill site would be a “disaster”, threatening archeological and geological significance dating back 500,0000 years. 

Pictured: A diagram explaining the significance of the South Hill site.

The site is the preferred choice of Economic Development Minister Senator Lyndon Farnham.

Earlier this month, he was due to enter a showdown in the States Assembly with former Assistant Minister for Sport, Senator Steve Pallett, who was arguing that Les Quennevais remained the best location.

However, States Members didn’t get a chance to vote on their preferred location in the end, with both politicians reaching a last-minute truce and agreeing to submit planning applications for both sites. 

Pictured: Plans for a park at Les Quennevais went in today.

Senator Steve Pallett said this afternoon: “As urban sports become more widely accepted as seen by their inclusion within the forthcoming Olympics in Japan, there is an increasing demand for skate and BMX facilities locally from young people looking to stay active and socialise with their friends. I am pleased to have been able to work with the [Economic Development] team to move forward this important project and thank officers for their focus on the new skateparks.” 

Deputy Hugh Raymond, who took over Senator Pallett’s portfolio when he stepped down in order to support a vote of no confidence in the Chief Minister, said today: “We are another step closer to building modern, accessible, and open facilities where Jersey’s urban sports can flourish. There are still several steps for each project, and we will be supporting them both through the planning process so that we can deliver them for islanders as soon as possible

“The Government is committed to improving Islanders’ wellbeing both physically and mentally, and we aim to deliver these facilities by January 2022 if planning permission is obtained by the end of July this year.”

Pictured top: The South Hill plans.