Friday 10 November 2017
The current reclamation site at Longue Hougue could be extended south, to create additional land, under new plans for dealing with waste from local construction and demolition projects.
Proposals will be put to the States for a long term plan for dealing with inert waste over the next 20 years. This includes a greater focus on minimising the material being generated, and reusing or recycling as much as possible on island.
The recommendations are set out in a joint policy letter from the Committee for the Environment & Infrastructure and the States' Trading Supervisory Board.
Inert waste is non-hazardous material that does not readily react or decompose when exposed to the elements, making it suitable for land reclamation. It includes concrete, tarmac, bricks, stone and ceramics, which typically arise from construction or demolition work, excavations, and roads maintenance.
Some is currently reused or recycled in building projects, but around 100,000 tonnes a year goes to land reclamation at Longue Hougue. That will be full in around three years.
A key element of the proposed future approach will be individual site waste management plans for medium and large construction projects. These are a requirement under the Island Development Plan, to detail how waste will be managed, including measures to minimise waste, and reuse or recycle materials within the project.
However the priority for reduction will not remove the need for a disposal site for some material.
50 potential options have been considered, including land-raising projects, improving sea defences, infilling old quarries, or exporting material. These were assessed against various criteria, including practicality, capacity, value for money, potential future uses, and social and environmental factors.
That process involved several stakeholders, including local construction industry representatives and business organisations, environmental groups, as well as States bodies.
An interactive map has been created, showing the locations and details of all the sites. This can be accessed via www.gov.gg/inertwaste.
The evaluation identified an extension to the current land reclamation as the preferred solution. This also offered the greatest capacity, out of all the options that could be available by around the time the current site is full.
The proposals would extend Longue Hougue by around 500 metres to the south, along the current eastern boundary line. Depending on the quantities of inert waste received, it would be expected to take between 11 and 15 years to fill, with capacity for more than 1½ million tonnes. Once complete, it would provide an area of more than 105,000 sq metres for future development.
The current estimated cost to develop the site is £30 million, largely to create the boundary breakwater. This would be funded through future disposal charges over the life of the site.
If the recommendations are approved, detailed design work will begin for the Longue Hougue site, along with a comprehensive Environmental Impact Assessment. That will review any potential effects on flora and fauna, traffic and transport, air quality, and noise and vibration - both during construction and operation.
The site will then be the subject of a full planning inquiry, before the States is asked for final approval. Development would be expected to start in 2021, with the site opening in 2021/2.
Members of the project team will be available to answer questions at a public drop-in session, to be held at Beau Sejour on Friday 24 November and Saturday 25 November.
