A $4.1 million wall at Dockyard’s cruise ship pier is to be scrapped instead of being repaired, Public Works Minister Michael Weeks said — and Government will foot the bill.Taking down the wall would be cheaper than repairing it, Mr Weeks told the House of Assembly yesterday, and protect the Government from liability.Mr Weeks also said he expected further monitoring to show that the thruster wall at Heritage Wharf, which was originally put in place to protect the surrounding environment from silt churned up by ships, might not have been required in the first place.“It is our expectation that this monitoring will demonstrate that walls are not necessary in this location, due to the natural flows and dispersal of sediments,” he stated, adding that a “softer engineering approach” would be explored if “attenuation measures” were required.The thruster wall, visibly broken following storm damage from Hurricane Igor in September, 2010, is to start coming down on Monday. Removal is expected to take four to six weeks.Government’s investigation has not found fault with the quality of work done by Correia Construction, the original builders of the thruster.Taking it down will cost between $150,000 and $175,000, compared with an expected $500,000 to fix the damage, Mr Weeks said.However, added the Minister: “The Government will retain the value of the materials arising from the removal, estimated to be in excess of $2 million.”He said the material would be reused in the next closed season for the installation of extra mooring facilities at both King’s and Heritage Wharf, since new and larger vessels have been contracted for the next two seasons.Mr Weeks also said Government was looking at possible routes to recover costs.The news provoked a swift reaction from Opposition Sandys North candidate and environmentalist Ray Charlton, who vowed: “I’m going to fight this.”Controversy dogged the Heritage Wharf project once plans became public, with an environmental impact study called for when the Development Applications Board gave retroactive approval to the facility.Environmentalists were concerned at the potential ecological impact of cruise ships docking in the area. The wall was also put up to protect marine animals at the nearby Dolphin Quest.Mr Charlton questioned how Mr Weeks could say the barrier could turn out not to have been necessary.“I’d like to know what he bases that on. Was there an environmental study carried out before the project commenced? If we didn’t need the thruster wall, why was $4.1 million spent? If we did need it, why are we removing it now?”He added: “To say they are monitoring the area for damage is unacceptable. We’re talking about fish breeding grounds, coral reefs, Snorkel Park.“If any of these are damaged it could be too late. I just think this reinforces my opinion that this Government is not environmentally conscious.”He added that “all environmentally conscious people in Bermuda should be outraged” by the risks posed, and he asked how the work at Heritage Wharf had gone ahead without a performance bond being secured.That revelation followed Mr Weeks’ statement in the House, when Shadow Business Development Minister Shawn Crockwell asked: “In the event that investigations reveal that there were structural deficiencies, does Government have a performance bond in place?”A performance bond is a surety issued on a construction project, to guarantee its successful completion.The Minister replied that there had been none, and that Government had been unable to get one. Asked by Mr Crockwell if Government had estimated costs for “the softer option in relation to preventing sediments”, Mr Weeks said he did not, but would supply them.The Minister added that he would consider tabling the project’s engineering report before the House.