Guernsey Water’s substantial two-month-long water main replacement taking place along Mill Street and Mansell Street will require some of the cobblestones to be lifted. Each one removed will be numbered, cleaned and relaid once the work is completed.
Parish constable Ken Acott has seen this a rare and golden opportunity to re-lay the entirety of both streets, as a helpful kick-start contribution to Project St Peter Port, an initiative that the parish launched last summer, with a vision to instil a communal sense of pride in Town’s appearance.
‘We’re trying to make Town as nice, attractive and vibrant as we possibly can,’ he said.
‘Not that we have a great deal of authority to make changes, but we can highlight issues and encourage improvements.
'The cobbles down Mill Street are probably ancient, and have been laid in a way that makes it very difficult to walk down – it’s uncomfortable.
‘There’s lots of patching and loose cobbles. If ever we’re going to regenerate that street – which is a bit of a mess at the moment with almost-derelict building and so on – we’ve got to start somewhere. And if we could re-lay those cobbles all the way and make them attractive, it would be good starting point to a regeneration process.
‘I’d like to know to what extent the cobbles are being lifted. If it’s substantial, wouldn’t it make sense for a marginal additional cost in this one-off opportunity, to relay them all?’
Mr Acott said he had been in contact with Guernsey Water, Traffic and Highway Services, and Environment & Infrastructure president Adrian Gabriel on the matter, but said he kept being ‘pushed round in circles’.
Deputy Gabriel said that Guernsey Water and its contractors would be meeting strict criteria in replacing the cobbles to ensure the area is 'safe, functional, and visually appropriate'.
He added that Traffic & Highway Services had identified other areas of Mill and Mansell Street that require remedial work, involving loose or raised paving with some pointing of joints, but no major relaying of any surfaces.
The improvements will be carried out while the road is closed. Deputy Gabriel said that more extensive enhancements to the public realm would take longer and require careful consideration of the historic character of the area. The proposed work will keep the streets ‘functional and safe’.
Mr Acott said that he was grateful for the response, but found it ‘disappointing’.
‘Nevertheless, I will continue to encourage a quality repair,’ he said.
The work is expected to be completed on 27 February.