23 December 2015
Education, Sport and Culture Minister Deputy Rod Bryans has asked Jersey Property Holdings to proceed with a planning application to build a new secondary school on fields south of Rue Carrée in St Brelade.
The decision comes after a public consultation on sites for a new Les Quennevais School showed a clear majority in favour of Option 2, with 67% of respondents nominating this as their preferred choice. The site covers a number of small fields bordering La Route de Quennevais but will not include the St Brelade Social Club and playing field.
Deputy Bryans said “A new Les Quennevais School is long overdue and the consultation showed strong public support for a new building in the west that will match the standard of our other secondary schools and provide the necessary education for our children.
Conclusive consultation result
“The consultation result in favour of Option 2 was very conclusive. People also expressed strong and clear views that the public sports fields and community facilities at Les Quennevais should be maintained at their current size because they bring significant value to the whole island in terms of health and community cohesion.”
In 2013 an amendment to the Island Plan was approved by the States which allowed consideration of the green zone for ‘elements of significant public infrastructure, such as a new secondary school’.
Deputy Bryans added: “Each of the three shortlisted sites has advantages and challenges, and I recognise that some people are concerned about the loss of agricultural land in Option 2. Ideally, we would not have to use a green zone location but our options are extremely limited for a building of this size.
“Having taken account of the public consultation and a range of comprehensive background reports on various issues, I have reached the conclusion that Option 2 is the most acceptable to the largest number of Jersey people and have asked for it to be progressed as the site for a new school for our children in the west of the Island.”
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