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Disused care facility Aviemore is due to be sold to the public's developer after years of delays – and for less than half the price initially advertised.
The Minister for Infrastructure published a report on Friday afternoon, confirming that he had accepted a recommendation from Jersey Property Holdings – the entity which looks after the public's £1bn property portfolio – to "approve the sale... to the Jersey Development Company with a payment of £1,300,000 on completion plus an overage payment subject to Planning Consent being received on the overall scheme".
Constable Andy Jehan's report also said there would be an "overage payment" – an agreement that the buyer will pay extra, on top of the original purchase price, if and when certain events happen – "subject to Planning Consent being received on the overall scheme".
The site, located in St Martin next to Haut de la Garenne, had previously hosted residential care for islanders "with learning disabilities who have the most complex needs and are in crisis".
Pictured: The Aviemore site has stood empty for several years. (Quérée Property Consultants)
The government had asked for offers over £3 million, but it has now emerged that JDC paid just £1.3 million for the site.
Aviemore has stood empty since a phased closure that started in 2021, after it was linked to an allegation of child abuse.
It came after the the Jersey Care Inquiry heard in 2017 that staff had assaulted young islanders with disabilities.
An independent review that same year found that staff care more for their own safety than for residents' needs.
In 2019, Express found out that Aviemore had received three orders by the Health and Safety Inspectorate relating to a substantial lack of written policy or procedure in protecting employees from "violent or aggressive incidents" from clients.
Pictured: The Aviemore site. (Quérée Property Consultants)
The 2021 Government Plan acknowledged that the facility itself was a barrier against providing “appropriate and safe care, as well as providing a safe working environment for the staff.”
John Le Fondré's government said that the five-unit building "cannot be fully occupied", which meant that individuals had to live in private-sector accommodation
As a result, the government decided to convert part of the over-65s mental health facility Rosewood House to replace Aviemore in 2021.
A £995,000 St Saviour bungalow was also purchased to house a single Aviemore patient with learning disabilities as part of a wider restructuring of its specialist care facilities.
In 2023, then-Chief Minister Kristina Moore said that proceeds from the sale of the site would form a fund "dedicated to improving outcomes for care-experienced islanders".
The term generally refers to any person with experience of care, such as an individual who has spent time in foster care or in a children's home, or someone privately fostered or looked after at home under a supervision order.
Pictured: Former Chief Minister Kristina Moore said that proceeds from the Aviemore sale be "dedicated to improving outcomes for care-experienced islanders".
Estate agents Quérée described Aviemore as "a large, two-story main building arranged in a 'U'-shape (together with various later additions), believed to be of traditional block construction set under a series of pitched and flat covered roofs".
Overlooking Grouville Bay, the 2,775-square-metre site also has a garden, an unused swimming pool, and parking for about 30 cars.
In its listing, Quérée suggested that Aviemore would be attractive for commercial or residential customers, subject to planning application.
If there are no objections from States Members within 15 days, the transaction involving SOJDC will progress.
Pictured top: The Aviemore site. (Quérée Property Consultants)
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