Lane Cove Public School: Parents rally against ‘unacceptable delays in four year school hall rebuild

The NSW Government is under pressure to explain delays to a four-year school hall rebuild that has forced assemblies to be held on hot astroturf with no cover and school events to be relocated.

Parents of a north shore primary school say they are fed up with “unacceptable” delays to the reconstruction of a school hall that was destroyed by fire more than four years ago.

More than 500 parents and community members have put their name to a petition calling for the NSW Government to expedite the completion of a partially rebuilt school hall building at Lane Cove Public School.

The construction works on the project was started after fire tore through the former school hall and canteen in January 2020, resulting in the structure having to be demolished.

Four years later, the school hall remains a construction site – impacting the school’s capacity to hold school assemblies, after hour school services and fundraising activities.

The delays have also forced assemblies to be held on hot astroturf with no cover and school fundraisers and events have had to be relocated at additional expense.

The school’s P & C president Caleb Taylor said the school community has “waited long enough” for the redeveloped hall to be completed – a process he said was moving at “a snail’s pace”.

A photo of the partially reconstructed Lane Cove Public School hall. Photo: Change.org.

In a letter to the Department of Education, Mr Taylor has called for School Infrastructure NSW to provide certainty over a completion date – a call echoed by many parents who say the four-year construction job was “unacceptable”.

Concerns over the construction timeline have also reached NSW Parliament with local Lane Cove Anthony Roberts last week using parliament to call for the Education Minister Pru Carr to explain delays on the project.

The development project has been marred with hurdles which were exacerbated when the original builder awarded the contract for the development, Lloyd Group, fell into voluntary administration in March last year.

A photo of the fire damaged buildings at Lane Cove Public School in 2020.

The Department of Education was then forced to undertake a new tender process to find another builder to finish the works, with a contract awarded five months later in September 2023.

Despite the appointment of a new builder, Mr Taylor said the school community has not been provided any insight into when works on the project will recommence.

He said the lack of a school hall has impacted various school activities including the capacity for assemblies and band rehearsals to be held on the site.

The hall was destroyed by fire four years ago.

“This whole building debacle has cost our school community (and) has had a major impact on our children, parents and staff.”

In a statement, a Department of Education spokesman said the new contractor is due to commence commence work at the site next month but declined to answer questions about when the project is due for completion.

“The rebuild of the Lane Cove Public School hall has been subject to legal considerations due to the previous builder going into administration,” he said in a statement.

“This meant the appointment of a new contractor and completion of all required documentation before works could commence.”

Multiple parents have backed a petition calling for the completion of the project with Melissa Gamble saying it was “unacceptable” for the project to have “dragged on for so long”.

“The kids are playing in a construction zone which is not only an eyesore but a waste of desperately needed space,” she wrote on the petition.

“This is ridiculous - such a long period for no work to complete this project impacting hundreds of children, the school community and the wider community as well,” Robin Grindrod added.