Community
4 February, 2025
A further $500,000 allocated to Port Campbell
CORANGAMITE Shire councillors have voted to increase the Port Campbell Town Centre Revitalisation Project by $500,000 due to “unforeseen costs”.
Councillors voted at last week’s Ordinary Meeting of Council to increase the funding after an update report before council noted the project had “encountered a number of delays”.
The cited delays included a lack of suitable or available contractors in the early stages of the project.
“Many of these delays were outside of council’s control,” the report before council stated.
“Consequently, what was originally planned as a two-to-two-and-a-half-year construction program with a single contractor was shortened to just under 18 months, with multiple contractors requiring more detailed project scoping and direct project management.
“The implications of shortened timeframes and inability to secure a single contract meant that, in 2024, construction re-commenced in late January through to the end of December 2024 with no breaks for Easter or other peak visitor periods as originally envisaged.
“In December 2024 this period was extended to enable project completion by end of March 2025.
“More complex procurement plans were necessary to cover the requirement to separate works into smaller packages, leading to more complex project delivery scheduling with shorter turnaround times for feedback and redesign if and when required.”
Speaking for the motion at last week’s meeting, councillor Geraldine Conheady said delays of this degree were “not uncommon” for a project of this size.
“The thing is – and people don’t necessarily want to hear it – when you have a project this size, and it’s a big one, there’s a lot of stakeholders in it,” she said.
“I think we all need to be cognizant of that and exercise an amount of patience.
“That’s not to dismiss anyone’s concerns, it’s just the reality of a large project.
“It certainly hasn’t been an easy road to travel, for anybody, but we’re working really hard to try and get the right outcome here, to achieve the goal that was set when this project was commenced.”
Cr Jamie Vogels acknowledged the project has had ongoing impacts on the businesses and residents of the town.
“I think it’s fair to say there’s never been a time where there hasn’t been disagreement,” he said.
“People have voiced their concerns with the design, with parking, with planning, with garden beds, with the amount of concrete and paving, with street lighting, with artwork, with safety, with the health of the Norfolk Pines, with the impact of the weather, with accessibility, with impact on small businesses, the timing of the works, and currently now with the decks.
“I fully agree the design plans, to the ordinary person, including myself, are not that clear and are somewhat misleading.
“I want to say we’ve heard and understand these concerns - engineers and builders are working on an option that will retain the decks but will open up larger sections.
“This is a compromise position and some areas will still have timber cladding to help with the structure and integrity of the decks, making sure we are compliant with the contracts we have in place and to meet the funding agreements we have in place with Federal and State governments.”
A completion date of Monday, March 31 has been set for the contracted works as part of the funding agreement with both State and Federal funding agencies, and cannot be extended.
The project is funded by $5.6 million from the Federal Government and $6 million from the Victorian Government, as well as by Corangamite Shire Council.
As Western District Newspapers reported last week, members of the community have expressed increasing frustration with the project.
Most recently, the addition of new decking has faced criticism with some fearing the design inhibits views of the foreshore and is not inclusive for all users – particularly those living with a disability.
Following the Ordinary Meeting of Council, mayor Kate Makin said the use of tensioned wire on the bay side of three larger decks would improve views for children, wheelchair users and people parking in the majority of the Lord Street adjacent to the pines.
“The wire will be spaced at 100mm intervals, in excess of building code safety standards,” she said.
“Installation will mean removing some of the existing steel and adding timber posts to accommodate the wire.
“Thinning of vegetation and extending the decks past the old footpath have significantly improved the view from the street and around the trunks of the pines.
“The result is better views than there were before, from the beach to the bay mouth and across to the facing cliffs.
“This modification to the decks will mean residents and visitors will be able to see views of the bay in some spots without having to get out of their vehicles.”
Council has also acknowledged the impact of the power box amongst the decks.
“Powercor required larger power boxes to house and protect the transformers and meters in Lord and Tregea streets,” Cr Makin said.
“Council has been in contact with Powercor and is advocating strongly for more compact alternatives.”
There have been further community concerns about safety regarding the project site and potential trip hazards.
Western District Newspapers understands WorkSafe carried out a second surprise inspection of the entire project site, focusing on trip hazards and pedestrians and vehicles in shared spaces.
The inspector found no matters of non-compliance but did recommend residents and visitors comply with the 20km/h speed zone and other signage and policing.
“I acknowledge what you’re going through as community residents, as business owners, and everything along the way,” Cr Makin said.
“We are working with the community, we are working with business owners, we are here to help.”
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