What do people want from a revamped Fort Regent?

Plans to redevelop Fort Regent are likely to be released next month, the Jersey Development Company (JDC) has said.

Although the building is still owned by the government, the Minister for Infrastructure gave the JDC responsibility for the project.

The company's head previously said the plans would deliver "significant all-weather facilities for the island" but would not include a pool.

Ahead of the release, BBC News has been asking people what they would like to see done with the historic facility.

Parents Carla Jones and Lauren Byrne, who bring their children to the soft play at Fort Regent, would like to see more activities for families.

Ms Jones said she wanted to see the building brought "back to life".

She said: "I think base it on families, this place, because it is such a big place to be utilised.

"I feel like the atmosphere's gone a little bit in here... it's just not that busy like it used to be."

Ms Byrne said she would like to see Fort Regent become an "indoor place for families to go, especially in the winter".

She said: "I think it's big enough that you could even make like half into an indoor shopping centre.

"Local shops, cafes, maybe some indoor activities for the kids, just somewhere else to go that's like a cheap day out for families because it's obviously quite expensive over here, especially with kids."

Sisters Mel Le Boutillier and Julia Falle run Little Monkeys Gymnastics and Regent Gymnastics Club respectively.

They said the gym at Fort Regent was the legacy of their late father, Arthur Falle, who founded Regent Gymnastics in 1981.

Ms Falle said she would like plans for the fort to be followed by action.

"There's been lots and lots of talks over the years of what they're going to do with Fort Regent and nothing's ever come to fruition," she said.

"I would like to see them revitalise the whole centre - bring back sport, bring back activity, bring back things for children to do."

Ms Falle said she was worried the redevelopment would mean the fort was shut and unused for a long time.

"I just don't want them to close the doors for 10 years and then take another 10 years to decide what they're going to do with it."

Sports clubs are due to move out of Fort Regent between September and December 2025, into an £8.4m sports hall at Oakfield.

Ms Le Boutillier said the fort was already "starting to wind down", with photos and fixtures being taken off the wall.

She said: "It feels a bit cold, there's not a lot of activity up here.

"A lot of people would want the fort to carry on, and invest in the fort and do things with the fort like it used to be in the old days."

Local performer and theatre blogger Jax Quenault said the fort should be a large-scale performance venue.

They said: "As much as I love the Opera House and I'm really excited for that to be open, it wouldn't be big enough for certain performances.

"It does make me sad in a sense, because I'm seeing all this amazing stuff that's going on in the mainland and unfortunately we just don't get it."

In 2021, Chief Minister John Le Fondré unveiled plans for Fort Regent that included a casino, hotel, bowling alley and an Eden Project style winter garden.

The following government scrapped these plans and said they were "unfeasible in the current economic climate".

Now Le Fondré, whose father worked at the fort, said he wanted to see different activities inside the building and outside, in the ramparts, the moats and the gardens.

He said the challenges with redeveloping the building were making sure the project was commercially viable and engaging with as many parts of the community as possible.

"Also, during the time that you're doing the actual work, you need to try and allow the public in, in certain areas, to keep the place alive," he said.

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