St. Helier is finally saying goodbye to an iconic part of its skyline after 88 years, as work gets underway to demolish the gas holder in favour of a park extension and new housing.
Andium Homes says work is now "well advanced" at the Gas Works site, with the large blue structure having been opened up so it can be cleaned and emptied of water before demolition.
Its removal will pave the way for a significant extension to the existing Millennium Town Park, as well as the delivery of 122 new homes - a mixture of affordable rental, affordable sales and open market sales.
A basement public car park below the Town Park will also be created.
Work is well advanced now removing the Gas Holder to make way for our new development and the extension to the Millennium Town Park pic.twitter.com/BnTCilBLH4
— Andium Homes (@Andiumhomes) September 1, 2020
Andium says on its website that the initial demolition is “due to be completed in the next couple of months”, with the eventual construction of the park extension and homes estimated for May 2023.
The gas holder, built in 1932, previously hit headlines back in July 2012, when it caught fire and nearly exploded as workers fixed a leak, causing thousands of islanders to evacuate their homes and businesses.
In the aftermath, Jersey Gas was fined £65,000 for multiple offences under the Health and Safety at Work Law, and the gas holder was decommissioned.
Comments
Comments on this story express the views of the commentator only, not Bailiwick Publishing. We are unable to guarantee the accuracy of any of those comments.