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Nearly 60 years after it was built, the former St Peter Port Secondary School could finally be nearing its demolition day.
While plans for the site at Les Ozouets to be redeveloped as a further education campus were approved some time ago, the project received a boost when the funding for the building work was partially agreed last month.
There's been no wasted time as the Committee for Education, Sport and Culture has already restarted the tender process to find a contractor to demolish the existing buildings (except for the Performing Arts Centre) to make way for the new facilities.
The site currently houses the Princess Royal Centre for Performing Arts which is in daily use, and the former school which was most recently used by the College of Further Education and the Youth Commission, both of which vacated the premises in 2022.
St Peter Port Secondary School itself had closed in 2009 following the opening the year before of St Sampson's High School which had replaced St Sampson's Secondary. Pupils from St Peter Port Secondary were split between St Sampson's High and La Mare de Carteret High based on where they lived.
Pictured: The previously approved designs for Les Ozouets campus.
The planned demolition work of the former school at Les Ozouets, which was due to start at the very end of 2022, was derailed when the contract between the then-RG Falla and the States was torn up. The company had asked for more money against its agreed contract with the States to demolish the old school and build the new campus.
The delay caused by that contract breaking led to a further delay when the States failed to agree funding for the project when deputies debated the Government Work Plan last year. With no money committed to the project, it looked like the project may not go ahead but then the new Policy and Resources President, Deputy Lyndon Trott led a successful amendment which secured funding for the new college site to be built, but not the sixth form centre or proposed sports facilities.
ESC now says talks have already been held with potential contractors as part of an identical tender process which was started in October last year.
The tender work was halted at that time when the States defunded the works but now it can "recommence at pace following the recent decision by the Assembly on funding".
Pictured: Director of Education Nick Hynes and ESC President Deputy Andrea Dudley Owen at Les Ozouets in 2023.
ESC says the priority is to find a contractor to clear the building of asbestos before full demolition work can start.
If that can be arranged in good time, then the demolition could start in May.
It will take around three months to completely take down the existing buildings with work to build the new Post-16 Campus planned to begin shortly after.
Director of Education, Nick Hynes is pleased to finally see movement on the project.
“The demolition phase of our project has now been planned for some time and so continuing the work will be a swift process to allow us to get ready to begin the build," he said.
"We are pleased that the designs for the campus still incorporate some elements of the old St Peter Port school such as the mature sweet chestnut tree; so while the old building will be gone, it’s memory will remain as part of the campus.
"The tree itself, which is well-known and much loved by the community, will sit at the heart of The Guernsey Institute’s main building, which is part of the phase one construction plan.”
Pictured: The Princess Royal Centre for Performing Arts.
While building work is underway at Les Ozouets there will be some changes to access to the Princess Royal Centre for Performing Arts.
The PRCPA is going to remain open for students and public events throughout the building work as it is separate to the existing buildings. In time the buildings will be linked as one campus.
ESC said the PRCPA "will remain open throughout the work to demolish the old school building and to construct the campus. Plans have been put in place to ensure it can operate as normal with only some alterations needed to keep it safe throughout the process".
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