Concerns have been raised over the level of input disabled islanders have had in plans for the £110 million redevelopment of Fort Regent.
The iconic venue is set to close before the end of the year to make way for the transformation project, which is being led by the Jersey Development Company on behalf of the Government.
A recent public consultation about the plans for the Fort attracted over 6,000 responses – with around 90% of participants reportedly expressing satisfaction with the proposals.
But disability charity Enable Jersey has questioned whether the consultation process adequately included the voices of disabled islanders.
CEO Sean Pontin said that he felt like children and young people with disabilities – and their families – were not properly represented during the consultation process.
He said: “Is disability really important for the Government? How important is it? Because it doesn’t feel like it’s a priority.”
Mr Pontin also criticised the JDC for treating disability engagement as a secondary consideration by planning to engage with the disability community only after the initial consultation phase.
“It’s that overall feeling of ‘I’m not important enough to ask at the beginning’,” he explained.
Responding to the concerns, Infrastructure Minister Andy Jehan said: “We certainly want to work with him [Mr Pontin] and also have meetings scheduled with the Diversity Forum.”
He continued: “The consultation is the start of the process, not the end.
“We are going to want far more engagement with people throughout the process, whether they specialise in disability access, or minority groups or whether they specialise in one of the facilities we want to put there.
“We really want to engage with the community.”
In a statement, a JDC spokesperson said the development company would “directly engage with the disabled community as part of the design process, helping to ensure the Fort’s new all-weather activities are accessible to all”.
They continued: “As recommended by the community in the public survey’s feedback, additional features such as an autism-friendly sensory zone are also being considered.
“Further discussions with the Government’s Diversity and Inclusion team are planned for early July to progress this work.”