Petition to save sea pool reaches 1,000 signatures

Jonathan Morris
BBC News
BBC A sea pool with a horseshoe shape barrier on a beach with houses behind.BBC
The sea pool is one of the largest of its kind in the British Isles

A petition to restore the 128-year-old Victoria Marine Lake in St Helier has reached 1,000 signatures.

The level of interest means there will now be a response from Jersey's government.

The sea pool, built in 1897, is one of the largest of its kind in the British Isles, but it has been unusable since 2023 due to its sluice gates remaining open.

Campaigners, including the newly-formed Save Our Pool Working Group, are calling for urgent restoration.

Petition organiser Nina Zaech described the pool as a "vital piece of Jersey's heritage" that could support health, leisure, and tourism.

A 2024 inspection found the pool required "comprehensive work".

Last month, Infrastructure Minister Andy Jehan was asked how the site would be maintained and said repairs would be "uneconomical" due to planned sea defence upgrades along the waterfront.

Constable Jehan also referenced the £356,000 already spent on the maintenance of the Havre des Pas bathing pool.

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