New plan in the making for Jersey's Fort Regent

• ITV Channel reporter Emma Volney reflects on Fort Regent's heyday and potential plans for its future

Jersey's Infrastructure Minister is working on new plans to refurbish Fort Regent in St Helier.

Speaking to ITV News, Constable Andy Jehan said: "I'd like to see Fort Regent refurbished and reopened as quickly as we possibly can.

"That's going to take a lot of effort and we need to make sure that whatever we do there is sustainable, and we need to make sure that we generate sufficient revenue to maintain the property moving forward.

"The plans I've seen are fairly simple but effective, and I look forward to being able to share those with fellow states members in the near future."

When asked how much the Government would have to rely on the private sector, Constable Jehan said: "That depends on the model we use. Revenue is really important - we want to provide facilities for young and old alike, so people have got somewhere to go indoors and do sporting activities, leisure activities and I think the latest plans are far more reasonable than the plans of a couple of years ago and are achievable.

"Clearly, the Fort is not looking as good as it should do and we need to crack on and make some decisions."

Fort Regent has been subject to at least three plans in the last decade, all of which have been abandoned by previous politicians.

Sandra Monacella remembers Fort Regent in its heyday and said: "It was such a popular venue for everybody. Where do we go for a proper concert nowadays? The Government wastes so much money on silly little things."

Ash McDonald added: "It's a shame that it's not what it was back in the 1990s. It would be great if they refurbished it. I've been up there a few times and used to train up at the gym, and it's a shame to see it's not what it was."

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