Not all La Vallette regulars are happy with ‘ivory tower’ plans

This statement is not correct. They did not say this. In fact, whilst a few users of the pools are in favour of the development, many, many more are against it. Not all users of the pools are swimmers of course.

An example of this are the divers. Donkey Divers instruct and train people to dive within the relative safety of the enclosed bathing pools. Donkey Divers were under the impression that Vive La Vallette were going to take on the repairs and maintenance of the pools, which of course they will not, so they are now sadly disillusioned and no longer in favour of the development, which will cause them, as well as all the other users of the pools, the most terrible disruption for about a year should the building be demolished, rebuilt and extended.

Donkey Divers told me that the pools area is a valuable asset to the island, as there are a lack of facilities for Donkey Divers. They say that repairs and maintenance are of prime importance and do not wish to see the pools fall into disrepair.

Having viewed the plans and written statement submitted with the application by Vive La Vallette, I would urge anyone who might show an interest as to what is about to happen to our heritage at La Vallette to visit the offices of the Development & Planning Authority and read the document for themselves. If they should do so, they will see how many of the statements in this document are misleading or simply not true.

Statements such as:

‘Facilities are substandard (if we do not encourage use they will fall into further disrepair and potentially be lost)’. The main changing room was completely gutted and upgraded three years ago. Since then, use of the pools and changing room have increased tenfold, as acknowledged by their survey, which says, ‘Historic tidal pools used daily by hundreds of people.’

‘The site has no physical or visual connection to Town and the current building turns its back on Town.’ Yes, that is because the current building is low-key and tucked in front of a mound in order to mitigate intrusive development on this conservation area and last remaining ‘wild’ area of St Peter Port.

‘It is not accessible to all’. It is the pools that are not ‘accessible to all’; the changing room and kiosk can, fairly easily, be made accessible. The disabled toilet, unfortunately, needs alteration to the ramp to make it wheelchair accessible, but this too can be done easily. I shall explain later.

The Design Statement says, ‘The existing building is in a poor state of disrepair and in need of upgrading.’ Not so; the building is as solid as a rock. Gareth Stevens, former operator of the kiosk at La Vallette, said, ‘It would take an atom bomb to demolish the current site.’ The building just needs to be repainted.

‘The changing rooms are widely unused by the public, who choose instead to change outside in all weather.’ This is simply not true. The main changing room, especially at weekends, is full to bursting. A second changing room was provided by Friends of La Vallette, which has proved very popular.

‘The existing kiosk is closed for large portions of the year’. Not true. The kiosk interior has been completely re-vamped and has been open since last July, all through the winter. Mim has put a lot of effort into the kiosk and is doing a roaring trade – come and see for yourself.

There is a list of proposed uses for the upper part of the new building, none of which are pool-related whatsoever. ‘Corporate reception, yoga classes, live music and farmers’ markets’, to name a few. All of which can be held (and are held) at various venues throughout the island.

Vive La Vallette are hell-bent on building this ivory tower above the bathing pools in time for the Island Games. No one has yet explained which games will take place here.

As for ‘access for all’, this is very misleading, as without access for all to the bathing pools themselves, then building accessible changing rooms, etc., is pointless.

The regular pool users were delighted to welcome Aindre Reece-Sheerin into our midst the other day. I asked him to advise as to how to make what we already have ‘accessible to all’.

The existing upgraded kiosk can be made accessible to wheelchair users and mums with pushchairs very easily by building a dog legged, gently sloping ramp from the road and removing the existing shallow steps.

The ramp to the existing disabled toilet needs to be removed and replaced with a level platform created right across all three toilets. Aindre demonstrated how he, as a wheelchair user, could not use the disabled toilet, as the door opens outwards and then was blocked by his wheelchair.

And a dedicated disabled changing room or access to the main changing room can easily be made.

Aindre is qualified to give advice on matters relating to access for wheelchairs and those with a variety of disabilities. He has advised the States and gives his advice free of charge.

So we thank him wholeheartedly for his time and an ‘eye opening’ tour of the kiosk, toilets and changing room.

I am about to write to the Development & Planning Authority about the application from Vive La Vallette, but meanwhile I challenge Deputy Gavin St Pier to tell us exactly how much money has been set aside and allocated for the necessary repairs to the bathing pools?

Presumably the money will be from the Environment department’s budget, but seeing as they have yet to commence work on the ‘tank’ wall, Fermain Wall and now have a £1m.-plus reinstatement of the steps above the aquarium to do, I would suggest that the bathing pools would be of low priority as a consequence.

With no guarantee from the States that the pools will be repaired and surfaces upgraded, it will be pointless to build this new tower block whilst the pools fall into disrepair.

Sadly, I have just learned that a request was made to provide a ramp to the existing kiosk in July of last year. This was turned down by Property Services, saying they would not spend any money there as the building was about to be pulled down.

For the sake of our heritage, please help us to ensure that the bathing pools remain a valuable asset for the people of Guernsey and future generations to come.

JANINE LE SAUVAGE

Meadow View,

Les Hubits de Bas,

St Martin’s,

GY4 6NB.

Editor’s footnote: David Warr, Vive La Vallette, replies:

Thank you for the opportunity to respond to the above letter on behalf of Vive La Vallette. We accept that our vision for the redevelopment of La Vallette changing rooms and cafe might not find favour with everyone, but we have endeavoured to be as transparent as possible and to reach out to as many stakeholders as possible, including a public presentation of our proposals at Les Cotils on 25 November 2019. We would like to emphasise the following points in particular:

n The redevelopment will be carried out through a Guernsey company with charitable objectives, Vive La Vallette LBG (‘VLV’). This is therefore a project designed to preserve and enhance the existing facilities for the long term and for the community. Any surpluses arising from the operation of the facilities will be reinvested in the site and the surrounding area.

n Although negotiations with the States of Guernsey are not yet concluded, we have made it clear to government that they will be required to provide an undertaking to maintain the bathing pools to a satisfactory standard as a pre-condition to the redevelopment taking place. This is intended to prevent the pools deteriorating in the years to come and has to be a better solution than at present, when heavy reliance is placed upon volunteers to maintain the pools as best they can. We do not believe that continuing in this way is a viable long-term solution and that government has to provide a clear and deliverable commitment to maintain the pools. A survey of the pools has been commissioned by government to facilitate these discussions.

n Disabled access is an important element of the design and we are confident that such access will be improved if the redevelopment proceeds, whilst recognising that access to the pools presents a particular challenge which we are continuing to work on. Cost will always be a limiting factor, but our aspiration is for everyone to feel welcome and able to use the facilities. Accessibility for all is our aim and we wish to encourage a wider breadth of the community to enjoy the area in up-to-date, all-year-round indoor and outdoor facilities.

Your correspondent does not have the benefit of having been involved in the negotiations with government, which started in May 2019 after VLV were selected as the preferred party to re-develop the site, nor of having been privy to the technical and other advice received. Whilst everyone is entitled to an opinion, we can assure your readers that appropriate advice has been and will continue to be taken from suitably qualified professionals, including architects, structural engineers and others in addition to liaising with government departments as appropriate.

Undertaking a community project such as this is time consuming and costly but, in our opinion, worthwhile and whilst it is clear that there are doubters we have received words of encouragement and support from many.

In closing, we would encourage your correspondent and indeed any other party to contact us with a view to clarifying misunderstandings and misconceptions regarding our intentions. This is best done via our Facebook page.