Car park closes as work on Police HQ begins

01 September 2014

​Work will begin next week on an archaeological investigation at Green Street car park in advance of the construction of the new Police Headquarters.

All car parking spaces on the ground floor open area of Green Street car park will be closed from 6pm on Tuesday 9 September for the duration of the work, which is expected to take at least a week but could be extended depending on the outcome of the investigation. It is anticipated that this section of the car park will reopen before the main construction work begins.

The work was identified as a condition of the Police HQ planning permit, with the Department of the Environment setting the brief for the investigation and undertaking ongoing supervision.

Archaelogical investigation

The investigation, which is being undertaken by Absolute Archaeology on behalf of the States of Jersey, will see the excavation of six trenches across the site. The investigation will seek to establish the presence of any archaeological material, record and identify any findings and, if required, develop appropriate strategies to protect such findings for the future.

The Assistant Treasury Minister, Deputy Eddie Noel, said “These works are an important step towards the development of the first purpose-built Police HQ in Jersey’s history. This work follows on from a desktop archaeological survey undertaken early in the project, complies with a condition of the planning permit and will be undertaken to recognised standards by professionals in the field of archaeology.

“The outcome of the investigation will be fully documented and the findings made public, including the development of a fully illustrated article in an appropriate publication.

“We apologise for any inconvenience the closure of the car park may cause; however, it is necessary to undertake works of this nature in advance of the main building contract. I expect the investigation will be followed closely by the awarding of a contract for construction and mobilisation on site.”

The project team are in the final stages of the contractor selection process and it is anticipated that the selected contractor will be confirmed during September. Once selected there will be a period of preparation before full occupancy of the site.

It is hoped that construction work will begin in October 2014 and that the building will be completed by the summer of 2016.