Southern Downs Regional Council announce upgrade to Warwick Saleyards to be completed by mid 2024

Recent changes to the Warwick Saleyards redevelopment project have caused a stir between local selling agents and Southern Downs Regional Council. Read why the plans were changed here.

TALKING POINT: Warwick Saleyards.

The redevelopment of Warwick Saleyards has been a controversial subject, with recent changes to the stage 1 plan seeing local selling agents butt heads with Southern Downs council.

The $7.5m redevelopment project will have a major focus on improving animal welfare, work health and safety, and environmental process to ensure they meet the required industry standards.

However, when Southern Downs Regional Council chief executive Dave Burges announced changes to stage 1 of the redevelopment in November, the Warwick Livestock Selling Agents Association walked away from construction input, despite endorsing the plans in August.

“With tenders submitted beyond our budget reach amid rising building costs, we have had to reconsider the extent of the first stages of the redevelopment,” Mr Burges said.

“We have looked to determine the best affordable outcome and consulted with the Warwick Livestock Selling Agents Association to put forward affordable options for consideration, while delivering the same yard layout which was endorsed by selling agents in August.

“Unfortunately, the Warwick Livestock Selling Agents Association opted to terminate those discussions.”

Stage 1 of the Warwick Saleyards redevelopment is now well underway as contractors continue to work tirelessly to have the first stage completed by March 2024. Photo: SDRC

At a presentation on the saleyards redevelopment by key project officers from Southern Downs Regional Council, the same presentation delivered to Warwick Selling Agents Association on November 17, Southern Downs project management officer Ron Van Haren said there were only three real changes made to the original plans endorsed by the selling agents.

They include the gradient to the walkways, a hard roof and raised buyer laneways.

“There were fundamentally only three real differences to what went to tender, to what we ended up with in terms of the contract, and what is being delivered on site today,” he said.

“Those three things have fundamentally saved our organisation and our community very heavy amounts of capital investment, were putting the saleyards back on grade and not benching them.

“Rather than (the walkways) being on a 5 per cent grade, which is what the final design’s on, they were to be flat.

“The other one which we couldn’t afford, was the hard roof over the seven pens.”

Mr Van Haren said council had made efforts to ensure structural elements could be put in place to support the future construction of a hard roof once the required capital could be sourced.

“All the (roof’s) foundation’s supporting parts and all of the bracing requirements are already going in as part of this stage of works, which means when and if a new council was to endorse a roof and install, it literally is binding on a couple of purlins can steel sheeting,” he said.

Mr Van Haren said due to national construction code requirements council must follow, the selling agents’ request for raised buyer laneways couldn’t be met.

“The new code requires us as designers and operators of the facility to consider equal access, and what’s really important to understand is that an agent catwalk is not a publicly accessible area, it’s for designated and approved workers,” he said.

In order for council to approve the request for raised buyer lanes, Mr Van Haren said council would be required to sign an exemption under the National Construction Code which would prohibit access for those with a disability, which was a decision council was not prepared to make.

The major unforeseen influx to cost increases at market when the project went to tender also had a significant impact on council’s decision to make these changes to stage 1 of the redevelopment, with initial tenders coming in at twice the amount of the projects budget.

The Stage 1 design plans for the Warwick Saleyards redevelopment have caused a stir with selling agents unsatisfied with council’s changes. Photo: SDRC

The bulk of project works is set to occur on the eastern side of the saleyards.

A large majority of the $7.5m in funding for the project is made up from a federal government grant council received as part of the black summer bushfire recovery grant program, which must be used before it expires in June 2024.

Despite the major headache for council stakeholders, trade and construction crews, the saleyards will remain operational during the construction phase, due to the major economic impact shutting them down would have on the region’s agricultural community.

“It’s not easy, but it’s really important that council are supporting our agricultural industry, and our community by making sure that we are moving heaven and earth to make sure those saleyards remain operational,” Mr Van Haren said.

Southern Downs council has since awarded construction company ICM to lead the saleyards redevelopment, with all key project managers and site foremen from the company based in Warwick.

Arrowquip, based in Morgan Park, will also play a major role in the project, supplying the upgraded equipment as part of the multimillion-dollar redevelopment.

Stage 1 of the project is set to be finished by March, with stage 2 construction to finalise shortly after in May next year.

Below is the design plan of the upgrades agents and vendors will see as part of stages 1 and 2, with the full list of inclusions found on council’s website.