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BREAKING: Lords Place makeover has gone well over budget

August 1, 2023

Artist impression of Lords Place with new trees.

By Peter Holmes


A late item added to Orange City Council papers on Tuesday afternoon reveals the $1.4 million budget for the controversial Lords Place makeover has blown out by nearly $180,000, or 13 percent.



The current project costings for the upgrade stand at $1,579,393.60, putting the project $179,393.60 over budget.

Council staff put the "variation" down to the following:


1. Unforeseen cost for procurement and installation space of dining deck furniture and additional hand railing on in-situ dining decks.


2. Contaminated materials (Hydrocarbon contaminated soil) causing increased consultant fees, downtime expense and staff PPE and WHS requirements.



3. Break in the project schedule over the Christmas period, causing rework for trenching and excavations, additional non-destructive digging with hydrovac-extended time in areas where stabilised sand used as reinstatement material to ensure tree pits could be constructed out of sequence in accordance with funding timing.

4. Significant conflict with existing services causing additional non-destructive digging with hydrovac.


5. Contractor and skilled labour availability, premiums paid to engage contractors.


6. Sequencing of available work areas and requirement for nightworks to reduce impact to business, increasing hourly rates of staff and contractors.



7. Rain delays causing rework to pavement rehabilitation areas and extending the project schedule.


8. Original costs were devised against Landscape Architect Plan only.

9. Additional consultancy required for car parking review.


10. Rent of building not envisaged. This was required to accommodate a shop front and minimise parking impacts rather than having worksite amenities in the street.


The council meeting is at 6:30pm Tuesday.


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