Residents to relocate to New Connaught Care Home

ALDERNEY'S Royal Connaught residents will move into the island's new £2.5m. care home later this month.

Work on the New Connaught Care Home, in Le Val, has been going on for more than a year. The facility will be connected to the Jubilee Home, in the High Street, which provides help for elderly people who are still able to live in their own flats.

Clive Twentyman, chairman of the home's project board, is delighted building is complete.

'The home provides 24 rooms with private bathrooms, two small lounges, a communal sitting room and communal dining room,' he said. 'All rooms on the north side have excellent views - something missing entirely in the old building. Overall it is a vast improvement on the existing home, which had many sub-standard, small rooms and only limited facilities.'

Clive went on to describe the work undertaken since early 2010.

'Because the construction is timber frame, the home has had to meet stringent fire prevention and containment standards. The staff have all received instruction in evacuation and management of such an event from Guernsey's consultant fire officer Roger Brookfield,' he said.

'As this is a new build, it has also been necessary to provide all new furniture and furnishings and these have to meet current standards of fire retardation.

'The costs of furnishing and updating the kitchen and other works in the Jubilee, together with charges for work in the new home, have been met from reserve funds of the company operating the home. This has enabled the States to make a saving of around 10% on the overall budget.'

Clive thanked everyone involved in the project, which was overseen by Guernsey-based company JW Rihoy.

'I have been greatly helped and supported by my board of directors: Brendan Noone, Caroline Yorke and Tony Llewellyn, the States representative, together with Yvonne Parmentier, the Connaught manager. All have become progressively involved as the project matured.

'We would like to thank the States for providing the new home. In particular, thanks go to Colin Williams for his management and overseeing the financing of the whole project. We would also like to thank Ian Whattam, the project manager for Rihoy's, for overseeing the quality of build, which is excellent. Our thanks also go to all the local tradesmen who were involved, including Jackie Main, AL Electrics and Tickled Pink, not to mention those who were involved in the foundation and block work.'

The public are invited to view the new home on Saturday 16 July from 10am to 4pm. Access will be via the link from the Jubilee.

Braye Street will remain a two-way road until the General Services Committee finalises plans for the harbour area.

States engineer Julie Turner said GSC members are looking into Braye Harbour's layout, including car parking, dinghy parking, pedestrian routes, a through road and Braye Street becoming one-way southwards, accessed from the commercial quay end.

'While the final plans are being drawn up, it is recognised that Braye Street remains two-way, while traffic can now drive into Braye Street from the harbour area. This may lead to traffic conflicts where vehicles from the north meet vehicles turning in Braye Street outside the First & Last,' she said.

'To remedy this in the short term, temporary posts have been put up which allow traffic to enter Braye Street from the north, but narrow this entrance to slow traffic down and reduce the risk of conflict.'

Julie said the posts would be removed once the final scheme is agreed and implemented.