Storm Ciarán clean-up costs Gov £500k... so far

Monday 04 December 2023

The clean-up operation following Storm Ciarán has put a £500,000 dent in the public purse – and costs could reach £1m.

The storm caused damage to countless homes and public buildings, brought down hundreds of trees on the Railway Walk alone, and saw the loss of rare species at the Val de la Mare arboretum.

While some woodland walks have reopened, many are still yet to be cleared.

Speaking during a Scrutiny hearing last week, Deputy Kristina Moore said that the Infrastructure Department had already spent half-a-million on the clean-up so far, and that there was a further £500,000 estimated in damage to public buildings. Parishes have also been forced to fork out significant sums, with Trinity's bill sitting at around £25,000.

Deputy Moore said that the Government did not know how much damage had been caused to privately-owned buildings, although it was aware of the damage to facilities owned by sports clubs.

The area around FB Fields and St Clement Sports Centre – directly in the path of the tornado – bore the brunt of the storm, with Island Padel in St Clement among the hardest hit.

WATCH: A specialist tree shear gets to work on the Railway Walk. (Government of Jersey)

“Those organisations and private individuals will be making their own arrangements through their own insurance companies, so it is very difficult to quantify but we can see that there’s an incredible amount of work to be done,” Deputy Moore said.

Deputy Moore paid tribute to the Government’s strategic co-ordination group “who stepped up as the week advanced”.

“They took time to consider everything they needed to do to prepare, which included ensuring that there was an agreement in place with hotels so that people could, if necessary, be transferred,” she said.

Pictured: The Railway Walk remains closed but significant progress has been made in the clearance work, particularly on the section from Don Bridge to Corbiere.

The Government is now working on a “categorisation framework” to help in future times of crisis when, the Chief Minister pointed out, islanders might not have the same opportunity to prepare.

Which areas have re-opened?

• St Peter’s Valley path and the Perquage Path from Sandybrook to La Route de la Haule are both back open following the clearance of fallen trees.

• The Railway Walk remains closed but significant progress has been made in the clearance work, particularly on the section from Don Bridge to Corbiere. There were a lot more fallen trees near Corbiere than originally thought. Work to clear the section between St Aubin and Don Bridge is due to begin next week.

• The western side of Churchill Park has been cleared of debris and hanging branches and the path from Park Estate to the Woodford car park is open. The eastern side of the park remains closed and the parish steps are blocked by fallen trees. These are expected to be cleared in the next fortnight.

• Work to reopen the two playgrounds at Coronation Park is set to start next week. Depending on the availability of heavy machinery, it’s hoped the eastern end of the park will be open in a few weeks’ time.

• Tree surgery works will start at Howard Davis Park next week. It’s currently anticipated the park will be able to reopen in mid-December. Part of the park is expected to reopen for the Enchanted Christmas Tree Maze Experience event.

• Clearance of fallen trees is getting underway at Mount Bingham Park. There’s around three weeks’ worth of work. It remains closed as the paths are blocked.

• St Catherine’s Woods remains closed.