Upgrades to the Point Lonsdale Lighthouse Reserve may take longer than expected, with a two-year extension proposed for the project.
The Borough of Queenscliffe unanimously accepted a report during its July 24 meeting, which provided an update on the Point Lonsdale Lighthouse Reserve project.
Chief executive Martin Gill said the borough would look to extend the completion date of the project’s second stage from September 30, 2024, to May 31, 2026.
Mr Gill said the borough would request an extension from the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA), which fully funded stage two of the development.
“Council received a grant (from the state government’s 2022-23 budget) for stage two works at the Point Lonsdale Lighthouse Reserve, and that was a grant of $1 million,” he said.
“In 2023, council established a project control group (PCG), and through the second half of 2023 and the first half of 2024, that group has been working through some detailed planning.
“This included a landscape plan and engineering assessments of works on site. Through that, they have been constantly monitoring the cost of projects, as well as the approvals and support of the agencies.
“We need to keep the project moving, but to also act quickly to request a formal variation from the DEECA to make sure that, by September 20, we had some certainty about the project itself.”
The PCG agreed to an updated project scope that focused on protecting the lighthouse’s remaining defence structures during a meeting held on June 24.
The proposed works would also include the installation of power to the site’s engine shed and amenities block, along with fencing and signage upgrades.
Cr Michael Grout said there was “data behind these changes” to ensure the work on the lighthouse considered the site’s historic features and that the project was conducted appropriately.
“We aren’t going to exceed the $1 million grant funding that we’ve been allocated, but we do need to renegotiate what we’re actually going to use that money to do,” he said.
“Decisions that the PCG have made along the way have been based to some extent on the quantities of surveying dollar numbers attached to the proposal originally agreed to in the grant funding.”
The borough initially adopted the Point Lonsdale Lighthouse Reserve development and restoration masterplan in 2019, following community consultations.
The borough’s next steps will be to discuss the project’s proposed change of scope and time extension with DEECA to determine if the changes aligned with the intent of the original grant.
