09 September 2014
The new plans for the regeneration of Fort Regent will be unveiled to Islanders at a public meeting this Friday (12 September).
The plans, which will be presented in Fort Regent’s Don Theatre at 5pm, follow two years of work by the Fort Regent Steering Committee, the most recent group to be given the job of redeveloping one of the Island’s unique buildings.
The Steering Committee has taken account of contributions from the Youth Service, Police Crime Reduction Unit, arts and cultural groups, sports representatives and the Jersey Conference Bureau. More detailed engagement was commissioned from focus groups that were comprised of a diverse range of users and non-users, and there has been an ongoing discussion through social media.
These views and ideas have made a significant contribution to the final set of design proposals, according to the Chairman of the Steering Committee and Assistant Minister for Treasury and Resources, Deputy Eddie Noel. He believes Friday’s presentation will provide an important opportunity for people to further engage with the project.
Deputy Noel said “It’s been heartening how many people have contributed to these plans. What people will see on Friday is a proposal that not only takes account of what people want from Fort Regent and how important a contribution they feel it can make to community life but a design that will hopefully inspire further ideas. I hope as many people as possible will attend the presentation and, whether you play sport, train, look after children, take part in the arts, enjoy heritage and culture, play music or simply want to enjoy the outside areas currently used by so few, these plans will provide reassurance that the potential of the Fort has been recognised and there is a timeline for how that potential can be met.
“There is a cost and there is a great deal of work ahead but we have achieved what we set out to do, which was to provide a vision of Fort Regent that balances aspiration with a deliverable reality.”
Friday’s presentation will be given by John Rhodes, Director of Sport and Entertainment Architecture at HOK, an international firm specialising in the design of sports and leisure facilities. HOK has been working on the designs in association with a consortium led by local firms Ross Gower Associates and Page Architects.
Following the presentation, the plans will remain on display at Fort Regent until Fort For All Day on the 26 October. More information is available on the Rediscovering Fort Regent Facebook page as well as on the States website.
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