Gymnastics Academy could move to Oatlands
GUERNSEY Gymnastics Academy could be moving to Oatlands, as its current base is expected to be sold.
The academy was formed in 2016 in a bid to boost local gymnastics and has been based at the Indoor Sports Centre in Route de la Hougue du Pommier.
But in a planning application Indoor Sports Centre director Pete Vidamour said the ISC was expected to be sold soon, leaving the academy, and the more than 500 young people who use it, without a base.
‘Therefore [we] need to find a new home very quickly,’ he wrote.
‘We have been looking for suitable premises for some time, but we do not believe suitable venues exist in Guernsey.’
He noted that two other island clubs had been looking for new homes for at least year, without success.
The GGA requires a space at least 30 metres by 18 metres, which could accommodate a tumble track and full-size floor area. The space would also need to be at least six metres high to allow for tumbling and at least eight
metres high to allow for trampolining.
‘The only venue in Guernsey, which we believe can accommodate those requirements is the Sir John Loveridge Hall at Beau Sejour,’ Mr Vidamour wrote.
‘We have spoken to the management, who can only give us access to the required space during the period from May to September. Gymnastics is a year-round sport and summer is the least popular time, so this is not of any great use.’
However the academy was given hope when Oatlands offered up its open barn space, which stands alongside Oaty and Joey’s playbarn.
Mr Vidamour wrote that it had the required dimensions and would require a reasonably small amount of work to be
made suitable as a permanent home.
‘This will result in the sport of gymnastics continuing to thrive in the island and provide in excess of 500 young people access to a sport which they enjoy tremendously.’
The planning applications shows that the barn floor area can fit the tumble track, floor area and two trampolines. The large open area facing the courtyard would need to be closed in and a new extension would need to be built to accommodate an entrance, office and changing rooms.
Project architect Paul Langlois said the new gymnastics building would operate as a separate business to Oatlands, but there were plans for joint ventures, such as children’s parties with gymnastics.
The application can be viewed at https://www.gov.gg/liveplanningapplications
