This Is Guernsey

By Gemma Hockey

THE Caritas Community Charitable Trust will not be getting Fort Richmond as a base for its work with young people. An amendment to give the trust - of which World Touring Car triple champion Andy Priaulx is patron - a year to look into the viability of using the fort was lost in the States yesterday.

It had been placed by Deputy Tom Le Pelley and seconded by Deputy Dave Grut and was discussed before the full States property rationalisation debate.

Members voted 29-13 against it. Most speakers felt that the States would not be doing the trust any favours by granting access for a year while it assessed using the fort to offer residential care and support to young people in difficulty and to promote the aims of restorative justice.

The trust would have had to return to the States with its proposals for the longer-term use of the site.

Deputy Francis Quin and Treasury minister Lyndon Trott were just two of those who said the site was not appropriate for the aims of the group.

Deputies felt there were other sites in the island that would serve the trust better and that the Treasury’s property services section had for the past 12 months been helping the charity to find a suitable site - and had already said that Fort Richmond was not suitable.

‘I applaud the idea, but not the place. It’s a bottomless pit,’ said Deputy Quin.

But others felt the States would be missing out on an opportunity to improve the site. Deputy Barry Brehaut reminded the House that it would have been only a 12-month trial.

‘If it doesn’t work, then so be it. But to give them the opportunity is the reasonable thing to do,’ said Deputy Brehaut.

Deputy Al Brouard said: ‘Let them find out the warts of this building on their own.’

Caritas trustees include the Rev. Richard Bellinger, Advocate Tom Carey and Raymond Evison.