A “COMPREHENSIVE” refurbishment of the homes which remain at the Haut du Mont site will take place to enable them to be rented to Islanders again later this year.
The JEP reported this week that the southern part of the Andium Homes site, where an explosion occurred in December 2022, was to be transferred to the ownership of the government at no cost.
Providing a further update, Andium’s communications lead, Zoe Hibbs, said: “We have been working closely with the bereaved families and displaced residents since the incident, and with the government on the memorial.
“Transferring part of the site into government ownership was a key outcome from the consultation with the bereaved families who wanted assurance that the memorial will be owned by the public in the long term and suitably protected.”
She explained that the 21 homes which remain on the northern part of the site are being retained by Andium.
“Work started last week on a comprehensive refurbishment of these homes, which will be completed later this year, enabling these to be made available for rental to Islanders once again,” she added.
Just over two years have passed since the Pier Road explosion, which claimed the lives of ten Islanders in December 2022.
Residents Peter Bowler (72), Raymie Brown (71), Romeu and Louise De Almeida (67 and 64 years), Derek and Sylvia Ellis (61 and 73 years), Ken and Jane Ralph (72 and 71 years) and 63-year-old Billy Marsden died in the blast.
Kathy McGinness (73), who lived in an adjacent block at Haut de Mont, was injured as a result of the explosion and died at the General Hospital on Christmas Day that year. More than 40 Islanders were also forced to leave their homes due to damage caused by the explosion.
In September, an order was signed allowing for the demolition of the most severely damaged blocks of flats left standing.
Housing Minister Sam Mézec said in November that a planning application regarding the future of the Haut du Mont site was due to be submitted in early 2025.
Deputy Mézec said that bereaved families and displaced residents had contributed to the “ongoing process” to decide what to do with the area, and had been “kept updated throughout”.
The Political Oversight Group for Major Incidents – which was set up in December 2022 in response to the Haut du Mont tragedy and sinking of the L’Ecume II fishing vessel – has previously recommended that the redevelopment of the site in the future should include a permanent memorial to those who died in the explosion.
A statement released ahead of the second anniversary of the Haut du Mont explosion in December revealed that a decision was expected “soon” on whether to prosecute anyone in relation to the explosion.
The joint statement from the States police, the Health and Safety Inspectorate and the Law Officers’ Department said that evidence was currently being reviewed by the Attorney General, and “it is hoped that he will soon be in a position to provide legal advice and that decisions as to charge will follow thereafter”.
Initial case files were completed and submitted to the Law Officers’ Department for consideration of charges at the start of October.
Police chief Robin Smith said last year that the force was “nearing the conclusion” of their investigation, and that the three suspects arrested in August 2023 on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter had been interviewed again. They have not been named.
