‘$800k blow out’: Deputy mayor slams Coogee sea wall project
Randwick Council’s deputy mayor has slammed an $800,000 “budget blow out” to build a sea wall next to Coogee Surf Life Saving Club.
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Randwick Council’s deputy mayor has slammed an $800,000 “budget blow out” to build a sea wall next to Coogee Surf Life Saving Club.
The much-loved club was established more than 100 years ago and survived a huge storm in mid-2016 which collapsed one of its walls.
The club building is set to undergo a big revamp this year as part of a multimillion-dollar project supported by the council and the NSW Government.
Following engineering advice, Randwick Council has been asked to build a sea wall to help protect the building and coastline.
Council previously allocated $720,000 to the redevelopment project but voted this week to increase its support to $1.52 million to cover the cost of a sea wall.
While the majority of councillors were in support of the move, deputy mayor Philipa Veitch slammed the “blow out” in funding.
“We committed $720,000 and that has now been upped by $800,000 to $1.5 million,” she said, during council’s meeting on Tuesday.
“I’m not about to sign off on an $800,000 budget blow out.”
She said they had just voted to spend millions on the COVID-19 Community Support Package and should be careful about what they “sink” money into.
“We are going to be under the pump with our resources over the next few years.”
She also said she was baffled why the initial engineers of the club thought it wise to build on the side of a cliff.
Councillor Dylan Parker said Coogee Surf Life Saving Club had made significant plans which had been supported by the council and the State Government.
“This is an infrastructure project which is quite far advanced from a council perspective,” he said.
He said to delay the project could jeopardise State Government grants. He said the project would also create and support jobs.
Councillor Harry Stavrinos agreed. He said there were “any number” of projects that the council had done in the past which had “blown out” from initial budget estimates.
“It is very difficult to estimate the cost of a project three, four or five years down the track.”
He said that did not mean they should stop any project that goes over budget.
Council general manager Therese Manns added the council had allocated $1.5 million for the project in its early stages but it was later reduced to $720,000 because of NSW Government grants kicking in.
Construction of the project was due to begin in mid-2020.