8 minute read
La Vallette
With planning permission granted for the ambitious plans to rejuvenate St Peter Port’s historic bathing pools, we take a look at how the Vive La Vallette charity is hoping to breathe new life into the area.
La Vallette Bathing Pools were once one of Guernsey’s busiest tourist hotspots, a safe yet scenic location for visitors and locals to enjoy saltwater swimming.
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Today, it remains a popular spot to eat ice cream and drink in the views, but it’s most frequently used by a loyal band of devoted swimmers who turn up to take the plunge come rain or shine.
While a regeneration project was undertaken by volunteers in 2015, the Victorian pools still require constant maintenance and the changing facilities, built in 1930, would benefit from an upgrade. It might be a muchloved area, but it’s very much in need of care and attention. Stepping up to the plate is Vive La Vallette LBG, a Guernseyregistered charity proposing a £1.5m redevelopment of the area into a multi-purpose space that can be used by the community 365 days of the year - all while maintaining its old-school kiosk feel.
It plans for the site to become a social enterprise, with refurbished changing rooms, and a café offering food with a focus on quality, health and affordability. Profits will be reinvested in the facilities and the surrounding area. Whether you’re in a bathing suit, work suit, workman’s boots or hiking boots, the idea is that everyone will be welcome to enjoy the area.
WE’VE GOT A LOT OF IDEAS FOR THE SURROUNDING AREA, TOO. FROM STREET FOOD, MARKET STALLS THROUGH TO LIVE MUSIC, WE WANT TO MAKE IT AN IMPORTANT, THRIVING PART OF TOWN “It’s a site with enormous potential and we have the opportunity to create something that will benefit the whole community - something that will inspire a sense of pride and ownership,” said David Warr, one of the founding members of Vive La Vallette.
“The existing kiosk deserves to be upgraded to make the best of its wonderful location. What we aspire to achieve is a cafe that will be open all the year round, and to make the facilities welcoming and accessible. We have no desire to create something elitist.
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After “We’ve got a lot of ideas for the surrounding area, too. From street food, market stalls through to live music, we want to make it an important, thriving part of Town.”
In autumn 2018, six sites along the seafront were identified as opportunities for development by the States of Guernsey Seafront Enhancement Area (SEA) programme. The public was asked to submit ideas and in May 2019, Vive La Vallette was announced as the preferred party to reinvigorate the La Vallette kiosk and amenities.
“Together with a group of friends, we had the idea that La Vallette would be an amazing project. Once I mentioned the idea to Dave De La Mare, we only had about three weeks to put together and submit our expression of interest,” explained David, who is a retired accountant.
The Vive La Vallette team is made up of 10 individuals with a variety of experience, including construction, art, hospitality and retail. Some of its members are also residents of the area and regular Bathing Pools’ users.
Architect David De La Mare of award-winning RIBA chartered practice DLM Architects is the designer: “It’s hugely exciting to be involved in a project like this. It’s the opportunity to put something out there into the public domain for the enjoyment and benefit of people.
“Architects often work on bespoke houses that only the client gets to enjoy, so most people don’t get the chance to see what good architecture does. On a project like this, everyone gets to experience it.”
Respecting and protecting the pools’ existing users has been central to Vive La Vallette’s proposed plan, which combines the aims of improving their user experience with making it more attractive and accessible for new users.
Planning permission has been granted to remove the kiosk structure and build a cafe in its place, which will sit on top of the existing changing facilities. The changing room building will be refurbished to bring it in line with modern building regulations. There will also be the provision of flexible space, which can be used for health classes, art exhibitions or performance. IT’S HUGELY EXCITING TO BE INVOLVED IN A PROJECT LIKE THIS. IT’S THE OPPORTUNITY TO PUT SOMETHING OUT THERE INTO THE PUBLIC DOMAIN FOR THE ENJOYMENT AND BENEFIT OF PEOPLE. Sustainability is key to the design, as is working with the existing structure and coastal environment. “The site itself is the biggest challenge. It’s obviously very exposed, so we’ve had to be considerate of that. There’s the weather, the tides, persistent winds and surf, and the footprint of the existing building and how that sits,” said architect David.
“The existing structure has stood the test of time in that location, so the question was how can we best utilise it? From a financial perspective, we can’t rip it apart and start again. From a historical perspective, it’s nice to add to the existing building and tie it into the topography of the land.” The original structure was built around the rock. While the technology now exists to build through it, time and budget don’t allow for the use of it.
“We’ve had to look at other areas around the site that aren’t really being used and find a way to knit our building into those spaces so it blends together. We want a balance of outdoor space and indoor space because that opens up the site’s potential.”
Half of the money has already been secured and a fundraising drive will follow later in the year. The build could be completed by the end of 2021, if everything goes
to plan, according to David Warr. “There are a lot of practical considerations we’ll need to work out, such as how we keep disruption for users to a minimum. We don’t want the pools to be closed during the summer,” he said.
“It’s also not a done deal just yet. We’re still negotiating the legal agreements with the States of Guernsey. We need to secure a long lease and reassurance that the pools will be maintained if we’re to justify the capital cost of the project.
“The La Vallette project is an example of public/private partnership between government and a charitable entity and if successful, this model could be rolled out elsewhere and applied to other projects. The potential is very exciting.”
In addition to settling on a legal framework, the team have had to navigate the court of public opinion. High profile projects come with intense scrutiny and La Vallette has been no different. But where the group has met with resistance, it
has been keen to open a dialogue. “Right from the beginning, we’ve been talking to people who oppose the plans and asking what their concerns are. We’re still at the early stages and we want La Vallette to be for everyone. We don’t want to upset people. A lot of the time, concerns come from misinformation - rumours of a fine-dining restaurant, for example. Having said that, I think 90 percent of the feedback has been positive,” said David De La Mare.
“As architects, criticism is as important to what we do as praise because you learn from it. Architecture is an art and like any art it’s subjective and everyone has different opinions. But as long as you can justify every one of your decisions, it’s very hard
HISTORY OF LA VALLETTE BATHING POOLS
• Les Promenades des Terres, as it was originally called, was a walkway intended to go around the coast. Security concerns at Fort George, however, put an end to this plan.
• In 1844, plans were submitted to build bathing pools to replace popular bathing spots that were destroyed by the expansion of St Peter Port Harbour.
• In 1859, permission was given to build a promenade to
Clarence Battery using infill from the harbour. The horseshoe bathing place was built. The ladies’ pool was completed in 1870, with a gent’s pool added six years later. In 1896 the children’s pool was completed.
• In 1925, high diving boards were constructed at the ladies’ pool by the Guernsey Swimming Club but were removed in 1970.
• In 1977 a proposal to abandon the gents’ and children’s pools, because of the ongoing maintenance costs, was voted down in the States.
• In February 2014, all the pools were closed due the storm damage, with the ladies’ pool reopening in June and the children’s pool in July. • A volunteer group, La Vallette
Challenge, was set up in 2015 with the aim of restoring the
Bathing Pools and promenade to their Victorian splendour.
• May 2019, Vive La Vallette was announced as the preferred bidder for the La Vallette kiosk and amenities and the La
Vallette sites, with planning permission granted in 2020.
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