Tuesday 02 January 2024
Parking at the East Arm of North Beach will be suspended from next week while significant upgrades are carried out to the QEII Marina.
Parking will be suspended for around 12 weeks from Monday 8 January to enable the safe removal of the current D&E pontoons, the construction and installation of the new ones, and the storage of some vessels which are currently moored to them.
Traffic & Highways Services will temporarily re-zone three central blocks (114 spaces) of 3-hour parking at North Beach to a 10-hour time limit while the East Arm is closed to public parking.
Guernsey Ports will aim to return parking that is no longer required as the project progresses.
The £1.4 million replacement of D & E pontoons will provide essential infrastructure upgrades for some of the largest vessels in the QEII Marina, as part of a multi-million programme of investment in the berthing facilities.
The majority of the 130 vessels that currently have a berth on D & E are being relocated to other locations in St Peter Port marinas. However, around 20 motor cruisers in the region of 12-16 metres long will need to be craned out of the QEII and stored temporarily on stands on the East Arm.
Suppliers Walcon Marine are expected to ship the new galvanised steel mooring pontoons into the island later this month. These pontoons will measure around 500 metres once fully assembled.
As part of the project, the current pontoons will be removed, the concrete piles which support them will be reinforced, and there will be a phased installation of the new pontoons. This will allow Ports to begin moving vessels back, first to D pontoon, then to E.
Guernsey Ports head of operations Jerome Davis said: "The East Arm will be used to store boats, pontoons and provide sufficient, safe working space for the project, which will involve regular use of heavy machinery and the phased removal and replacement of mooring pontoons.
"For operational reasons and the close proximity of D &E pontoons, the East Arm of North Beach is the most suitable location for this.
"We are working closely with our suppliers, contractors, operational teams and Traffic & Highways Services to optimise the delivery schedule and mitigate any disruption as much as possible. We will look for any opportunities to return space that is no longer required as the project progresses."
"We want to thank boat owners and the wider public for their co-operation while we undertake a programme of much-needed investment in the island's leisure marina facilities."
The D & E Pontoons replacement is part of a significant programme of investment in the QEII, much of which dates back to the construction of the marina in the 1980s and has long since reached the end of its design life.
