FORT REGENT sports groups are due to move permanently to other venues – including new multi-sports facilities at Oakfield – by September 2023.
Their transfer will allow the redevelopment of the ageing site.
Plans to build a £3.1 million sports hall at Oakfield Sports Centre were approved in February.
A government spokesperson said an update had yesterday been provided to ‘all our Fort Regent tenants about the most recent plans for the decant of the fort’.
‘Our current completion date for the new facilities at Oakfield is September 2023, whereby, all those who have chosen to remain within a government facility will move out of Fort Regent into the new Oakfield facility.
‘Some tenants have already moved out of Fort Regent, or are moving earlier than September 2023, because they have chosen to move to other facilities.
‘As we have previously stated, the government is committed to ensuring that all tenants remain at Fort Regent until the new facilities are ready.’
The news comes shortly after Blood Fitness, which specialises in martial art Muay Thai, became one of the first sports groups to relocate from Fort Regent – having this week opened a new training centre in the former Jersey International Business School building at the Weighbridge.
The property is now home to a fully-fitted gym, juice bar and supplement store, as well as various martial arts and fitness spaces spread over three floors.
Owner – and former British Muay Thai champion – Michael Blood said the government’s plan to move groups out of Fort Regent had been the ‘push that he needed’ to open the facility.
‘What’s happened here is my biggest dream.
‘I always wanted somewhere where we could offer different martial arts under the same membership,’ he added.
Commenting on the decant process, he said: ‘We have always been looking so this has been good for us.
‘I knew it was coming and I have always been looking.
‘For the people who have been there for a very long time and they’re happy there, it’s not good at all really – it could have been handled better, I’m sure.’
