North Quay warehouses to get new £650k roof

Sunday 08 October 2017

Work has started to replace the roofs of the four warehouses along St Helier’s New North Quay, which house the Maritime Museum, Tapestry Gallery and Marine Leisure Centre, as part of a major refurbishment project, funded by Ports of Jersey with an allocated budget of up to £650k.

The refurbishment should be completed by March 2018 with access to all buildings permitted as work is taking place.

Enabling works will see scaffolding and protective netting placed around the upper parts of the buildings. Once in place, work will begin on the removal of asbestos, traces of which are assumed to be in the roof areas. Work on the roof replacement itself will follow in early November 2017 and is due for completion by the end of March 2018, in time for the start of the main holiday and boating season.

During the works period, access to the buildings along the New North Quay will still be possible, including the Maritime Museum and Tapestry Gallery, which only open on Sundays during the winter. Jersey Heritage is taking advantage of the works to improve natural lighting into the Maritime Museum by installing four skylights in the roof area, an installation which they will fund. 

The works will be managed by Ports of Jersey and carried out by local project managers and contractors, including Horn Brothers, which will undertake the major renovations, Rhodar, a specialist company, which will deal with the removal of the asbestos and Jubilee Scaffolding, which will provide the scaffolding and protective roof  covering.

The work will include:

• Removal and disposal of existing roof slates, battens and felt;
• Insulating and replacing with new roof tiles, battens felt;
• Repairs to timber roof members;
• Repairs to verge walls;
• Removing, repairing and lining existing guttering.

The former warehouses date back to the 1900s and are buildings of special interest, owned by Ports of Jersey, which has a responsibility for ensuring they remain in good condition. As such, the project is being funded by PoJ with an allocated budget of up to £650k.  Once complete, other than general maintenance and barring any major incident, the new roof is not expected to require further major work for another 25 years.