Govt applies to demolish Waterport saltwater intake to make room for Bob Peliza Mews completion

The Government of Gibraltar has filed an application with the Town Planner for the demolition of the Waterport reverse osmosis seawater intake building to make way for the completion of the Bob Peliza Mews residential estate.

A report, prepared by De La Paz Engineers Ltd for the Government of Gibraltar filed with the application, details the methodology for taking down the intake building, which currently supplies seawater to AquaGib’s reverse osmosis plant on North Mole Road.

The existing plant supplies approximately 40% of Gibraltar’s fresh water and will remain in use until a new reverse osmosis facility on North Mole is commissioned, expected in early 2026.

Only once the current intake building and plant are fully decommissioned and the new plant is operational will structural demolition begin, the report states.

The intake building, constructed around 1983, is located at the south-western corner of the Bob Peliza Mews site at the end of the eastern jetty, Jetty No. 5, on the North Mole.

Its removal is required both to allow completion of the estate and to create a turning circle for emergency vehicles serving the development.

“The seawater intake building was built during the mid-1980s and was designed to supply salt water from the adjacent sea to the North Mole Road reverse osmosis plant, which would then provide freshwater to Gibraltar,” said the report.

“It is immediately adjacent to and south of the new Bob Peliza Mews Residential Estate development.”

“Vehicular access is restrictive in width and is weight restricted due to the presence of an old, reinforced concrete culvert.”

“The contractor will therefore need to carefully assess the size of plant and equipment required or potentially carry out these works once the new access road is completed.”

The contractor will also liaise with the Gibraltar Port Authority and the Sea Scouts in making access arrangements.

The report notes that the intake building sits immediately adjacent to Block 1 of Bob Peliza Mews, with a clearance of about 500mm, and next to an area of jetty commonly used by shipping agents within the Gibraltar Port Authority’s section of the mole.

Because the jetty is narrow and subject to weight restrictions, the engineers suggest that demolition should start after or during construction of a new access road.

“There is frequent movement of ships, vehicles and pedestrians in this area,” the report said.

“Frequent coordination is to be maintained with the GPA if access is sought through this area.”

“The intake building is also immediately adjacent to the sea. There is a risk of demolition debris, plant and operatives falling into the sea. Suitable edge protection and exclusion zones are to be set up.”

“There is a corridor between the 5th Gibraltar Sea Scouts headquarters and the intake building.”

“This is currently in use by the AquaGib personnel. This corridor is to be closed off and monitored during demolition works.”

“The Sea Scouts HQ itself is located at a far enough distance from the intake building that no further consideration is required,” the report added.

Before any demolition can begin, all services must be scanned, isolated and protected, asbestos must be removed by a specialist contractor and equipment and “soft strip” materials such as windows, doors, tanks, pumps and pipework removed using scaffolding or mobile elevated platforms.

The main demolition sequence will start with a three-metre exclusion zone around the structure where possible.

To minimise dust, the structure will be pre-soaked and water sprayed continuously during crushing.

Once the building has been taken down to ground level, the footprint will be levelled and all debris removed from the site.