An events and property management firm has been wished “good luck” after it once again emerged as the frontrunner to operate the Havre des Pas Lido in the latest twist in the saga.
Deputy David Warr said that he hoped First Point Property Services would provide a facility that “the public is proud of” after the main competitor for the tender – Love Our Lido – withdrew from proceedings.
The St Helier Deputy has been at the forefront of a campaign for community group Love Our Lido to take over the site.
However, earlier this week, representatives of the group wrote to Jersey Business, which is overseeing the tender process, to formally withdraw its bid.
Speaking to Express, Deputy Warr revealed that there had been several meetings between Jersey Business and Love Our Lido, but he explained that talks had collapsed over the proposed level of government funding to run the site.
The government has been proposing a £60,000 grant to whichever entity takes on the St Helier seafront venue. However, members of Love Our Lido said they believed the operation costs would be around £170,000.
Deputy Warr said the difference in financial expectations were “a significant gap to make up” that could not have been overcome without the tender terms being changed.
With Love Our Lido out of the race, commercial operator First Point is expected to take over the bathing pools site, having sat in the “reserve bidder” spot during the community group’s negotiations.
Deputy Warr said he wished First Point “good luck on the site” and added: “I hope they do a good job. I appreciate they are taking a massive commercial risk.”
Love Our Lido had initially been outlined as the “preferred bidder” last summer. However, the talks with government collapsed and, in October, First Point was announced as the winner of the tender.
The tender for the future management of the Havre des Pas Lido was then re-run after an independent review exposed shortcomings and misleading statements in the way the bidding process had been handled previously.
In a statement to States Members in December, Infrastructure Minister Andy Jehan said: “It is clear that mistakes have been made. I apologise again for the occasions where erroneous statements have occurred. I emphasise that those mistakes have been genuine and not deliberate.”
Since then, Jersey Business has been overseeing the new tender process.
In its email to Jersey Business, Love Our Lido governors Giles Robson, Sally Minty-Gravett and Matt Falla said: “We have grave fears that the government’s wish to underfund this site to save money will only lead to it falling into disrepair and becoming a danger to the public of Jersey that use it daily. The only losers will be the people of Jersey, the owners of the site, who clearly asked for one outcome and are being delivered the exact polar opposite outcome.”