New Education Minister will 'look at' alternative sites for town primary school

Tuesday, 30 June 2026 09:30

Jersey's new Education Minister has promised to look again at the decision to build a new primary school on the Gas Place site in St Helier.

Catherine Curtis, who was appointed uncontested to the role of Education Minister yesterday (29 June) has been asked to look at other places to build a new town primary school, amid ongoing concerns over the Gas Place site.

The new Constable of St Helier, Inna Gardiner, has suggested looking elsewhere - such as the site of the former Apollo hotel on St Saviour's Road.

In response, Deputy Curtis said:

"I think an awful lot was looked into before, as the Connetable will know, but I'm happy to look at it again, bearing in mind it's part of my duty to do so."

The Gas Place site was earmarked four years ago, but there has been a lot of controversy over the move, with calls to extend Millennium Town Park instead.

Deputy Curtis' Reform Jersey party colleague and predecessor, Rob Ward, resisted calls for the park extension by campaign group 'Grow Our Park'.

READ: Education Minister pushes back on Millennium Town Park extension

And more recently, the then-St Helier Constable Simon Crowcroft was also asking the States Assembly to reconsider the school plans, wanting to give those in the island's capital access to more green space, using the site.

Constable's attempt to extend Millennium Town Park fails

It was also a hot topic during the election for central St Helier, with fliers dubbing it a 'megaschool' and labelling it a Reform Jersey proposal despite it being a States Assembly-supported decision.