Plan to demolish conference hall at Hotel de France

A major conference hall in Jersey could be knocked down.

The owner of Hotel de France has submitted plans to replace its large conference venue with apartments.

The chairman of the hotel, Robert Parker, claims the large conference industry in Jersey was declining.

But Peter Funk, the chairman of the Jersey Conference Bureau, said the industry was worth £6m in the island and demand for small conferences was increasing.

He said he was not concerned about the potential loss of one of the islands largest venues.

He added that last year about 10,000 people came to Jersey for conferences, but only eight events had more than 100 people, with 200 conferences having an average of 20 to 30 delegates.

Mr Funk said there were several venues that could hold up to 400 delegates and Jersey still had an important role in the wider conference industry.
(from BBC)