A ST Clement politician is pushing the government to approve funding for a £7.5m youth centre project that has been “kicked down the road for years”.
Deputy Karen Wilson is urging the government to provide £2.5 million per year from 2025 to 2027 to develop the Le Squez youth centre, with funding being redirected from existing infrastructure and public-realm budgets.
This would allow construction of the long-awaited facility, which it is hoped will create a community hub and safe space for young people in St Clement, to begin next year instead of 2028, as is currently planned.
The Deputy argues that the project has faced repeated delays since it was first proposed in 2019, despite having approved plans and designs in place.
She said that funding should now be prioritised “to ensure the provision of a facility and that the project is not delayed any further”.
Deputy Wilson added: “At a recent meeting with members of the community development group on 7 November, I was advised the development of the Le Squez youth centre is on its ninth iteration, having been kicked down the road for years and not seen as a priority.
“There were adults at the meeting who, as children, remember the original proposal to develop Le Squez.”
The Deputy’s proposed amendment to the government’s nearly £1.3 billion spending plans for 2025 to 2028 forms part of a series of changes that Members have been putting forward this week.
Politicians are due to start debating the Budget and the proposed amendments – of which there are now nearly 30 – on Monday 25 November. Deputy Wilson’s amendment challenges current government plans that favour building a new youth facility at the derelict Ann Street Brewery site in St Helier.
The government’s draft Budget describes this as a “bold new youth facility project” that would “support wider redevelopment” in town. However, Deputy Wilson says that the St Helier project has “not yet received funding or planning approval” – unlike the Le Squez centre, which is ready to proceed.
“While I agree we need a youth centre in St Helier, it shouldn’t be at the expense of a project that’s ready to go,” she said.
“The needs of young people living in Le Squez are being overlooked due to town developments, with no clear rationale.”
