A St Helier politician is aiming to “restart a conversation” about the Waterfront’s Victoria Marine Lake and question the feasibility of making the enclosed bathing pool fully functional once again.

Deputy Inna Gardiner is set to hold a meeting next week to hear from islanders concerned about the future of the 128-year-old structure.

She will meet interested individuals on Thursday 5 June from 17:00 to 18:00 at First Tower Community Centre.

It comes amid a resurgence of interest in the once-great attraction, which has been cited to cost millions to fully repair.

Dating from 1897, the enclosed bathing pool – which was once Britain’s largest marine lake – is owned by the Government and managed by the Parish of St Helier.

The Victoria Marine Lake has been out of action since 2019 when tidal damage caused a ten-metre hole to appear in the retaining wall.

But it is not the first time the pool has been left under-maintained.

In 2012, a partnership between the Government, the parish, the Jersey Development Company, and the Bosdet Foundation saw £250,000 put into a refurbishment project for the pool that had been under-funded for decades prior.

But the scale of the structural damage was much larger than anticipated, and the extra funding needed to secure the pool’s future never materialised.

Now, Deputy Gardiner wants to “understand what people have to say and how strongly they feel” about restoring the pool.

Although she is aware of the site’s history and under maintenance, she said the historic structure warranted a public meeting now as a “similar situation” is ongoing to revive and secure the future of the Havre de Pas Lido.

Deputy Gardiner acknowledged that any further restoration attempts “would not be cheap,” but added that she wanted to get a full understanding of public opinion surrounding the site before bringing any formal questions to the States Assembly.

Waterfront resident Nina Zaech is the founder of the Tidal Pool group, which now has 240 members.

She said she was pleased that a politician is supporting the movement, but expressed her disappointment that no future is in sight for the Marine Lake.

Mrs Zaech said she was shocked that the Marine Lake was overlooked in the Jersey Development Company’s plans for the Waterfront – which instead included an Olympic-size swimming pool, something she said could be “as expensive” to run.

She said that the lake “has more value in many ways than an artificial pool”.

Mrs Zaech added: “Plus, the artificial pool would still be outdoors, staffed, heated, cleaned, and charge entry fees.

“The marine lake is free and anyone can use it.”

Ahead of the meeting, Mrs Zaech said she “felt she had to do something” about the pool herself and her children loved.

“I have a tiny bit of hope still about the pool’s future,” she added.

“Every day nothing is done to repair it, the damage gets worse.”

The meeting on Thursday 5 June will take place from 17:00 to 18:00.