The firm which operates out of the Havre des Pas Lido is closing its doors for the final time on Christmas Eve following a protracted saga over the future of the site.
The Lido Ltd, which handled the café and some of the facilities at the Havre des Pas bathing pool, announced that they would pause trading earlier this month.
And, in a statement on social media, representatives of the business have expressed their sadness at leaving the site and once again hit out at those involved in overseeing the tender process.
The business, which is part of Marcus and Ana Calvani’s BeServed Group, was told to vacate the premises after the government selected a new operator – First Point – to take over the lease.
However, the government has restarted the tender process after an independent report it commissioned concluded that the second half of the process had been unfair.
Infrastructure Minister Andy Jehan was forced to apologise to States Members after Jurat Anthony Olsen concluded that the Council of Ministers had been misled during a briefing by Jersey Property Holdings’ director Tim Daniels.
The Lido Ltd’s statement said: “In recent weeks, we have been asked by government, through Jersey Business, to assist in delivering a smooth and orderly transition to the next tenant.
“In that context, and at the request of both the Chief Minister and the Minister for Infrastructure, we halted the planned removal of our fit-out and assets and engaged in discussions to enable those assets and licenses to remain in place, should the next operator wish to take them on once the tender process is resolved.
“Like many others, we are deeply disappointed by how the tender process for this important public facility has been handled and by the prolonged uncertainty it has created for all parties and for the wider public.
“In December 2024, when we agreed to continue operating the site for a further 12 months, it was on the clear understanding, agreed with the Chief Minister, that a successor operator would be ready to take over before that period came to an end. That has not happened.”
The statement said that the firm had “received conflicting and contradictory messages” throughout the process and that it had “lost confidence” that the situation is being managed in a “consistent manner”.
“Havre des Pas Bathing Pool is a community facility owned by the public,” the statement continued. “Our sole objective over the past two years has been to see the site placed into the care of the community and those who use, rely on and cherish it daily.
“Our focus now is to support the community and the Lido Steering Group in ensuring that the site can return to daily operation as quickly as possible, without triggering unnecessary planning, licensing or regulatory complications, issues which are well understood and documented, but which have not been transparently addressed within the tender process to date.
“We have made our position clear. We are not continuing to operate the site. We have complied with all requests made of us and acted in good faith to avoid escalation and to support an orderly transition.
“Any decision to escalate matters further now rests entirely with Government and would be contrary to a smooth transition, an independently managed tender process, and the repeated assurances given by the Chief Minister.
“We remain willing to co-operate constructively to support a positive next chapter for this site and, most importantly, for the community that values and relies upon it.”
It said that those involved with the business are “genuinely saddened” that they are not able to continue to “offer the hospitality and community welcome we have proudly provided for over a decade”.