The former social security building should be used as a “temporary school” to provide relief during renovations of existing schools, according to a former Housing Minister who is opposed to building a new educational facility on the site next to Millennium Park.

Deputy David Warr made the comments last night at a public meeting hosted by the Millennium Town Park Support Group at the Town Hall.

The group objects to the government’s plans to close St Luke’s, Springfield, and La Passerelle schools and replace them with a new primary school on the old Jersey Gas site next to the town park.

At the meeting, Education Minister Rob Ward defended the proposal as a “once in a lifetime” opportunity, describing the current facilities at the three primary schools as “not fit for purpose”.

He also pointed out that the existing Springfield site would be turned into a new park for town after the school was moved.

But Deputy Warr told attendees that the “clearest and most obvious” solution is to repurpose the old social security building on La Motte Street into a “temporary school”.

This would provide a facility for children from Rouge Bouillon, Springfield, and St Luke’s schools whilst their buildings are refurbished, he said.

Deputy Warr explained: “The current price tag for purchase of that building is around £3m, not £30m plus. We are not starting from scratch.

“The reality is we are not looking at the existing asset base in St Helier and thinking how best it can be used. That, in my opinion, is criminal.

“A school at Philip Le Feuvre House is perfectly plausible – after all, there was a school there many years ago.

“It frees up the Gas Place site and allows it to be repurposed for community use. Everyone wins.”

He argued that this approach would allow for a “rotational” refurbishment of schools like Rouge Bouillon, Springfield, and St Luke’s, by moving pupils to the La Motte Street site temporarily.

Deputy Warr added: “We’re going to be saving millions, and we’ll have created a long term sustainable use that both meets our educational needs, and the health and wellbeing needs of the residents of that area.”

However, meeting attendees raised questions about the site’s suitability – such as the cost of converting the building to make it appropriate for teaching, ensuring children’s safety given the traffic in the area, and the lack of outdoor play space at the site.