Multi-site hospital 'unlikely' to cost under £804m

Ministers want to build an acute hospital with emergency care at Overdale by 2028

Plans for multi-site health facilities in Jersey are “highly unlikely” to be cheaper than those for a single-site hospital at Overdale, the island's infrastructure minister has said.

Deputy Tom Binet told the States Assembly that costs were not yet accurate enough to be released.

But he did not expect the government’s new proposals to cost less than the £804.5m budget approved by politicians for the previous scheme.

Ministers opted to change approach after a review led by Mr Binet concluded the Overdale plans were "no longer affordable or appropriate".

'Double-digit inflation'

Last month, the government endorsed plans for an acute hospital with emergency care at Overdale by 2028, a new outpatient facility at Kensington Place and a so-called health village at St Saviour.

But ministers have not yet confirmed how much their revised proposals might cost.

While facing questions from backbench politicians, Mr Binet said: "This is going to be a different scheme, covering an extra 30,000 sq m of development.

“It's going to take into account the many things that the Our Hospital Project didn't.

“It's going to be developed over a nine-year period.

“And, on the basis that we have been for some time in double-digit inflation, I think it's highly unlikely to come in below the sum that was pencilled in at a very early stage for the Our Hospital Project."

Last week, Chief Minister Kristina Moore said that the government may not reveal the cost of hospital plans because “it's not normal practice to tell suppliers your maximum budget".

Asked about Deputy Moore’s comments, Mr Binet said: “I don’t have any intention of holding anything back from anybody. I work in a very transparent way.

“I’m quite happy to share whatever information is available as and when it is suitably available.

“And, at this point in time, I am not sufficiently comfortable that we are accurate enough to release those figures.

“But I’m reasonably comfortable about releasing figures when they are in a form that I think is defensible.”

Treasury Minister Ian Gorst later told politicians that he hoped detailed costings would be included in the government’s 2024 budget, which is due to be debated in December.