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Haut du Mont site set to be acquired by Government

Haut du Mont site set to be acquired by Government

Saturday 11 January 2025

Haut du Mont site set to be acquired by Government

Saturday 11 January 2025


The Government is set to acquire the Haut du Mont site from Andium on behalf of the public.

Infrastructure Minister Andy Jehan signed a Ministerial Decision approving the transfer of the land for no cost.

However, each party will have to pay their own legal fees in passing the contract before the Royal Court.

The transaction may be concluded 15 days after the signing of the Ministerial Decision.

Just over two years have passed since the Pier Road explosion, which claimed the lives of 10 islanders in December 2022.

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Pictured: Just over two years have passed since the Pier Road explosion 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.

In November, Housing Minister Sam Mézec said 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.

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Pictured: Benches were placed at a Haut Du Mont memorial site at Mount Bingham following calls from islanders in January 2023.

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 of Jersey 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 Jersey's 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.

READ MORE...

Gov examines "potential options" for Haut du Mont site

Memorial garden and housing "likely" to feature at Haut du Mont site

Damaged Haut du Mont blocks set to be demolished

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