The Assistant Economic Development Minister, who has political responsibility for sport, also explained why he had chosen to step down as leader of the steering group set up to find a viable way forward for the facility – citing a lack of progress and conflict of interest with one of his new roles.
‘It was frustrating how there has been a lack of progress, certainly before the last election and since. Having said that, we have done an awful lot of work with the steering group before it had to be stopped and it was decided to take things off in a different direction.
‘Another factor was that I will be leading a review of sports facilities around the Island and I thought there may be an element of conflict with that. The review may come up with what should happen at the Fort.
‘We need to have a clear direction of where we are going to go that has public support and the support of States Members within this political term. There is no doubt about that.
‘There needs to be a clear plan about what we are going to do with the Fort for the next two to three decades and we cannot kick this can down the road any further.’
Senator Pallett added that he had to be positive about the future of the Fort but that its infrastructure, including a 45-year-old electricity system, could soon come to the end of its life.
‘It is a difficult one to answer. Nobody wants to see the Fort shut but we have got to be realistic about what the condition reports have said and the perilous state of some of the infrastructure,’ he said.
‘It is a matter for the Infrastructure Minister and Jersey Property Holdings – they are aware of the issues and now we have all got to get our heads around the fact that we are now at the end of the road and when we reincarnate the Fort we need to know what we are going to do with it.
‘The steering group have given us the time to reflect but now we need to act.’
Last year, tests at carried out on showers in the facility revealed traces of legionella bacteria – the pathogen capable of causing Legionaires’ Disease.
The discovery was announced some months later following a question on the issue from Deputy Montfort Tadier who also asked why States Members had not been made aware of the problem.
And Senator Pallett added that stakeholders at the complex needed to be kept better informed of issues.
‘Consultation is another thing. People involved with the Fort need to be made aware of what is going on before any decisions are made,’ he said.
‘I am the minister responsible for sport at the Fort and I should be given the opportunity to say how decisions are made rather than be told that something has happened.
‘We keep talking about OneGov but everybody needs to be given more information. I do not want to be critical, but it is important to make people aware of issues as soon as possible.’
