Leale's Yard demolition to start in September, Douzaine told

Aerial image of Leale's Yard by Peter Frankland/Guernsey Press

The update to Vale Douzeniers was provided in an email this week and has now been released to the media, with the Guernsey Press reporting today that the news has been welcomed by the Guernsey Retail Group.

The demolition will be carried out in two stages, which will involve taking the old properties down to ground level, with what's called pre-construction works continuing this month. When the main work begins in September, the States has said that much care will be taken to try to minimise nuisance and disruption in the Bridge area.

That will include:

• Soft strip - Removing elements by hand, such as roof coverings, fascias, soffits, windows and doors, under the supervision of ecologists so that birds and bats can leave the buildings naturally without being disturbed or harmed by machinery.

• Building demolition - Undertaken in small groups of buildings at a time to ensure nuisances are kept to a minimum.

• Materials management and recycling – Stockpiling and sorting materials from the demolition, including separately stockpiling all facing granite, including lintels and quoins, for potential reuse on future projects.

• Material crushing - Stone and other inert materials will be crushed and stockpiled for future reuse.

• Snagging and site decommissioning - Final snagging works, site clearance and decommissioning of temporary facilities will be completed.

In the release, Policy and Resources, which is leading the project, said: "Buildings will be demolished from the top down using machinery to carefully dismantle structures in a controlled manner, rather than allowing them to collapse and generate excessive dust. Rok Limited, who has been awarded with the contract for this work, will be continuously monitoring dust, noise and vibration levels generated by demolition activities. All buildings will be damped down with water throughout the process to prevent dust spreading into the air."

Looking ahead, experts in master planning are also expected to be appointed soon to help set out a plan for how Leale's Yard and nearby sites owned by the Guernsey Housing Association can be developed for the benefit of the community. This will include consideration of the overall site layout, but also community spaces and transport links.

Minimise
Deputy Yvonne Burford, Vice-President of the Policy & Resources Committee, said: “We are ensuring that the demolition process is done in such a way that it minimises noise, dust and general disturbance to residents and businesses in the area, and that it is sympathetic to wildlife. Additionally, there will be a focus on management of materials, such as stockpiling good quality granite stone, quoins and lintels and crushing other stone and inert material for future reuse. We will continue to update islanders on this exciting project as it progresses.”

Martin Search, director of the Guernsey Retail Group and managing director of Ray & Scott jewellers on the Bridge, said: "The lack of progress in this area has left parts of the Bridge looking tired and neglected and has sometimes detracted from the positive work done by the variety of retailers in the area." However, he also added: "Developing a key plot of land like Leale’s Yard will encourage investment, and support local business growth, contributing to the economy."

The full release is available here: 

https://www.gov.gg/Leales-Yard-demolition-to-start-in-September