ASBESTOS will have to be dealt with before the last 148 homes on the Grand Bouet Estate can come down.

The Guernsey Housing Association is half-way through a project to demolish and replace the old States properties.

A planning application to remove the last homes has gone in, but GHA chief executive Steve Williams (pictured) said there would need to be careful planning before work could start.

‘We are aware of the asbestos, but it is low risk,’ he said. ‘It was used in things like Artex on ceilings and in floor tiles. At one point it was a universal product used in lots of things, but now we need to deal with it carefully.’

Work started last June on removing 54 homes as part of stage one of the redevelopment.

Mr Williams said the GHA safely dealt with asbestos in those properties and they plan to take similar precautions with the next stage of work.

Post planning approval, it would be several months before work begins.

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