Politicians far from bowled over by indoor cricket centre plan

Thursday 24 March 2022

States Members have batted away a proposal to build an indoor cricketing and sports venue with gym and fitness studios on a field in St. Martin.

Yesterday, on Day 8 of debate over the three-year 'Bridging Island Plan' (BIP), an amendment by Deputy Steve Luce to rezone ‘MN727’, which is next to the Farmers’ Cricket Field, from green zone to a sports area was defeated by 27 votes to 18.

The St. Martin Deputy said that cricket was flourishing in the island and the centre would greatly enhance Jersey’s cricketing offering, both locally and internationally.

He added that the proposal had the backing of Jersey Sport, the ICC, Assistant Minister for Sport Deputy Hugh Raymond and the independent planning inspectors reviewing the BIP, who had said MN727 was the “logical place” for such a facility.

However, Environment Minister Deputy John Young strongly argued that the amendment should be rejected, not only because a sports centre would have “significant harm” on the rural character of the area but also its development was separate to the Government’s island-wide sports strategy, which focused new sports facilities in the east at Le Rocquier School.

Pictured: MN727 is alongside the Farmers' Field in St. Martin.

Self-confessed cricket fans, such as Deputies Kevin Pamplin and Lindsay Ash, said they supported the amendment to boost participation in the sport.

Others, such as Deputies Kirsten Morel and Montfort Tadier, as well as St. Lawrence Constable Deirdre Mezbourian, highlighted potential duplication with other sports sites and also the fact that it appeared to be a planning application rather than an Island Plan policy.

The same point had been raised during an earlier debate, when Members rejected an amendment from Senator Steve Pallett to rezone a field, also in St. Martin and not far from the Farmers Field, for a residential nursing and dementia care home to be built and run by LV Care Group. That amendment was defeated by 36 votes to 9.

Before that, Members had agreed to ‘safeguard’ the Old Fire Station and car park in Nelson Street for a youth facility – meaning that another use of the site will not be supported by planners unless it is no longer required for this purpose – in supporting an amendment by Deputy Rob Ward.

The Assembly also agreed to an amendment by Environment Minister John Young to tweak a policy in the BIP to allow for the development of sports facilities at FB Fields, around Springfield Stadium and on fields south of Strive Health Club in St. Peter.