3 months ago
22
The Moreton Bay council has awarded the contract to build a new pavilion at Suttons Beach, after the former art deco building on the Redcliffe site was allowed to deteriorate to the point it could not be saved.
Despite community calls for its replacement to keep the pavilion’s art deco style, a design competition selected a more modern take from Lahznimmo Architects with Plummer & Smith, which came with a price tag of about $19 million.
Funding of $12.1 million towards the project would come from the SEQ City Deal Liveability Fund – an agreement between all three levels of government.
The planned new pavilion for Redcliffe’s Suttons Beach is a departure from the former art deco building.Credit: Lahznimmo Architects with Plummer & Smith
But despite a contact being awarded, a council spokeswoman said that winning tenderer remained confidential.
Suttons Beach Pavilion Preservation Group secretary Karen Whittam, whose organisation campaigned for a new art deco pavilion on the site, said they were happy to see progress but hoped the design was not final.
“It looks, at the moment, very kind of modern and space age, and we’re hopeful that there are more features,” she said.
“We suggested a bit more of an art deco entranceway, but we don’t know what they’ve taken on board. I do know there’s a strength of feeling that people would like to see more art deco, but until we see what it is they actually do, it’s hard to comment.”
Whittam said the group had fought hard for a like-for-like replacement of the pavilion, which the Moreton Bay and pre-merger Redcliffe City councils had neglected for decades, to the point it had to be demolished.
“We’ve done our absolute best to get as much art deco in there as we can – there was nothing more we could have done along the way to try and influence that,” she said.
“However it turns out, it is going to be a great venue in a great location, and once it’s opened and in full swing, people will still be happy.”
The since-demolished art decdo Suttons Beach Pavilion.
Moreton Bay mayor Peter Flannery signed off on the former pavilion’s demolition in 2022, after investigations uncovered the extent of the building damage.
“We can’t wait to see work start at the site, bringing us a step closer to the fantastic waterfront facilities envisaged for Suttons Beach,” Flannery said on Thursday.
“Locals and visitors alike will be able to enjoy a vibrant hospitality scene and experience the beautiful peninsula beach environment with ample shade and amenities in our new landscaped grounds.”
The announcement was met with enthusiasm from both sides of politics.
Federal Labor MP Emma Comer said the “forward-thinking project” would be a tourism and economic boon for the Redcliffe peninsula.
“We all have so many great memories of this beautiful foreshore area and soon families will be able to make their own new memories with the new pavilion as well,” the member for Petrie said.
Redcliffe LNP MP Kerri-Anne Dooley said she had been visiting Suttons Beach for more than five decades.
“It’s been a place of wonderful history, connection and beauty and we want it to continue to be that for generations to come,” she said.
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“This announcement is one step closer to seeing new upgraded amenities that will be enjoyed by locals and visitors alike.”
Work was set to start early next year, with completion expected by mid-2027.
The project will include the new pavilion building, extensive landscaping, public changing rooms, new shade structures and an upgraded car park.
New food and beverage tenancies at the site were expected to be open by the latter half of 2027, subject to the outcome of a separate ongoing tender process.
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