Just a quick update on where we’re at:

·         Brisbane City Council has issued contracts to two timber specialists to supply the timber decking for the new Pier. The successful companies are Parkside Group of Companies (from Ayr) and Kennedy's Classic Aged Timbers (from Narangba).

·         Currently Council has lodged a Development Application for Tidal Works and a Marine Permit for working in the marine park from the Queensland Government. Council is awaiting the results of this application.

·         The development application is Impact Assessible – which means the application will be publically advertised and it will be open for public submissions (and open to appeal through the Planning and Environment Courts).

·         Tender documents are prepared and ready to be issued once a decision is made concerning the Development Application and the Marine Permit.  Given the complexity of the work, the tenders are expected to be open for 5 1/2 to 6 weeks.

·         Work will be mostly done in the 2014/15 financial year (with $11.521M allocated) and completed in the 2015/16 financial year (with the remaining $7.123M projected for that year).

·         Some of the $11.521M was funding carried over last year (which wasn’t spent) – you’ll recall $550,000 was carried over from the 2013/14 Budget to the 2014/15 Budget. So the funding allocated is about what was previously proposed.

·         Most of the work will be the removal of the existing Pier, recovery of materials which can be re-used and to start work building the new Pier, in the similar style to the current one.

·         The Shorncliffe Pier renewal project is expected to be completed by early 2016, according to comments by the Lord Mayor in his Budget speech yesterday