Urgent work under way to complete care home

The States of Alderney said the care home was not occupied despite the project concluding in the summer

Work to complete Alderney's Connaught Care Home is being done on an "urgent basis", officials have said.

The States of Alderney said the care home was not occupied despite the project concluding in the summer.

It said the build had been completed to the 2019 approved design criteria but work was now under way to ensure it met fire regulations introduced in 2023.

Chair of the General Services Committee - the landlord - Iain MacFarlane said "members of the community will be disappointed" the work was not finished but they wanted to provide a building that was "fully compliant".

'Working at pace'

The States said on completion of the works to the original approved design, the Connaught Board commissioned an external company to review various aspects of the build.

It said much of the work concerned new fire regulations that came into force in 2023 following a review of the Grenfell Tower fire and its implications for new buildings.

The States said it recognised there was "an increased need in the community for beds", and "all efforts are being made to achieve a goal of finishing this December".

"It will also allow some occupants to move from the Jubilee so that work can begin on repairing the Jubilee roof. With these points in mind, the work is being done on an urgent basis," the States said.

MacFarlane said they wanted to ensure the provision of a building which was "fit for purpose, fully compliant and obtain a Building Completion Certificate".

"We are working at pace to get this work finished to the right standard as quickly as possible," he added.

The Connaught's operations executive director Liz Bowskill said: "We can't wait to be able to open our doors to new residents in the new year – hopefully we're on the home stretch."