Education Act On Les Ozouets Site

Guernsey’s Education Committee is pressing ahead with plans to knock down the old St Peter Port school and build the new Guernsey Institute.

The project was stalled by a States resolution in October, but last week the new Policy and Resources Committee successfully persuaded deputies to set aside £88M for the project.

Demolition is expected to begin in May 2024, and be completed in August, so that the new build can begin soon after.

The Princess Royal Centre for the Performing Arts, which is next door, will continue to operate normally.

Nick Hynes is the Director of Education and Senior Responsible Officer for the Transforming Education Programme.

He says although the 1960s St Peter Port school has to go, the mature sweet chestnut tree on the site will be preserved:

“The demolition phase of our project has now been planned for some time and so continuing the work will be a swift process to allow us to get ready to begin the build.

We are pleased that the designs for the campus still incorporate some elements of the old St Peter Port school such as the mature sweet chestnut tree; so while the old building will be gone, it’s memory will remain as part of the campus.

The tree itself, which is well-known and much loved by the community, will sit at the heart of The Guernsey Institute’s main building, which is part of the phase one construction plan.”