A “milestone” moment in local sport was marked last week when the Infrastructure Minister tightened the last nut on the frame of the new £8.4million facility at Oakfield Sport Centre.
Construction is scheduled for completion this August, with the beginning of October earmarked for the opening of the facility for use.
Infrastructure Minister Andy Jehan described tightening the last nut on the frame was a “milestone” moment.
“We need to continue to work to secure quality sporting facilities, whether that’s existing, or new facilities,” he said.
“We know that our efforts are a long way from being done, but £8.4million is a large investment and we think it will go a long way in helping house some of our sports.
“There is a lot of work going on in the background, which hopefully we’ll be in a place to share some more exciting news in the not too distant future.
“There has been a desperate need to add some more sports facilities in the east of the island and this is a very good start.”
The new £8.4m Oakfield Sports Centre is being built next to the existing 3G football pitch and existing sports hall.
The new development will provide a key base for Jersey’s sporting community and will provide facilities for various sports including gymnastics, basketball, netball and martial arts.
Once complete, the facilities will become a key base for the island’s sporting community and delivery of the curriculum for Hautlieu School and Highlands College, and will provide space for some of the sporting activities previously undertaken at Fort Regent
The original Oakfield sports hall will become the first dedicated gymnastics facility on the island.
But coaches and parents have previously raised concerns that this one facility will not be enough to cater for all the young gymnasts in Jersey.