Following on from the success of the new sports complex at Les Quennevais in Jersey, Saville Jones was invited to look at the future of the island’s main sporting venue, Fort Regent, located within a Napoleonic Fort, high on a rock in the centre of St Helier.

The client wished to re-energise the centre as a major sporting venue and initially, we were appointed to undertake a Feasibility Study, which was then developed into a design.

Our concept of a sports village, which could also boost tourism, was inspired by the island and would include a health and fitness gym; 12-court sports hall; squash courts; climbing wall; gymnastics hall; table-tennis facilities; indoor bowls; sports science laboratories; foyer and reception; conference facilities; changing accommodation; café/restaurant and bar; administration; heritage and nature trails; a visitors’ centre and a hotel.

To encourage the use of this centre, our Feasibility Study identified access as being a major issue. Although situated in the commercial centre of the town, the only routes up to the centre are tortuous and unattractive. The proposals developed a scheme based around two panoramic lifts taking people quickly from the centre of town to the top of the rock and then straight into the leisure centre or to a new visitors’ centre, but also allowing informal use of the outdoor park we had conceived.