Demolition at Leale's Yard to start in September
BBCDemolition of buildings on the Leale's Yard site is set to begin in September.
The planning application for demolition on the site was approved on 10 June 2026 with the President of Policy and Resources Committee Lindsay de Sausmarez declaring in January that the site would be clear before the end of 2026.
The States of Guernsey said September would bring the first of two demolition stages, which would involve demolition of the buildings down to ground level.
Deputy Yvonne Burford, Vice-President of the Policy & Resources Committee, said significant progress had been made to "get us to where we are today" and they would continue to update people on this "exciting project as it progresses".
She 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."
The States of Guernsey said pre-construction work would begin in July to prepare the site for demolition, which is expected to take place from September into spring 2027.
This will involve:
- Removing elements by hand, such as roof coverings, fascias, soffits, windows and doors
- Building demolition
- Materials management and recycling
- Material crushing
- Site clearance and decommissioning of temporary facilities
Stage two
The government said the buildings would be demolished from top down using machinery to "dismantle structures in a controlled manner, rather than allowing them to collapse and generate excessive dust".
It added all buildings would be damped down with water throughout the process to prevent dust spreading into the air.
It said while the first stage took place there would be investigations to prepare for the second stage.
The second stage of demolition would involve removal of building slabs, any contaminated soil, below ground obstructions, capping of utilities and more, all to provide a flat and safe site ready for development.
Ecological surveys were also being carried out in an environmentally considerate way, the government said.
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