Bid for five big projects in Moreton Bay City

Moreton Bay City Council will put forward five key projects, totalling about $45 million, for funding via the South East Queensland City Deal.

The City Deal is a partnership between the Federal Government, State Government and the Council of Mayors (SEQ) and is comprised of 29 funds, plans and projects to be co-funded by the three levels of government.

The largest of these funding agreements is the Liveability Fund worth $285.79 million. The City of Moreton Bay’s share of this will be $45.53 million. The Council will chip in $15.18 million to the total fund.

The SEQ Liveability Fund is open for expressions of interest from eligible local governments from now until November 10, 2023. Outcomes of the expression of interest stage are expected by the end of 2023, with projects to start being rolled out from mid-2024.

There are five projects Moreton Bay City Council will make funding submissions for. They are:

• Suttons Beach Pavilion - $17 million to pay for demolition of the existing pavilion structures, development of a detailed business case, community engagement, concept plan development, detailed design approvals and construction cost.
• Centenary Lakes Regional Playground - $10 million to deliver a large regional all-abilities playground for the Caboolture region, including an all-ages, accessible zero-depth splash park water play space and associated amenities building.
• Centenary Lakes Activation - $7 million project as part of the Reimagining Caboolture program, for an Elliot St to Caboolture River active transport upgrade located west of Morayfield Rd, and a new shared pathway along Esme Ave located east of Morayfield Rd. These projects are designed to provide pedestrian and cyclist access around and to the Caboolture CBD from the cable-stayed bridge connecting to Caboolture South.
• Bongaree to Woorim Active and Public Transport Network Connection - $5.5 million for a program of works which will include a range of projects connecting the west and eastern sides of the island. At the Bongaree Jetty, two jetty pontoons will be replaced, and existing pontoon support piles will be repaired. In Woorim, existing amenities blocks will be demolished and replaced with a Changing Places facility which includes beach wheelchair storage, showers and change rooms, improving disability beach access. A range of other works include on-road cycle lanes connecting Bongaree to Woorim, a new missing link footpath, and new Bribie Island Memorial Gardens amenities.
• The Mill Lakes Precinct Activation - $5.5 million for the development of a precinct at the Lakes for public exercise and relaxation. The scope of works will include the delivery of paths, amenities, and landscaping, plus additional car parking.

Opportunity for renewal

Mayor Peter Flannery told this morning’s council general meeting the five projects council had identified were “very worthy of changing the face of particularly certain parts of our city with some of this investment”.

“This is about leveraging that opportunity, so hopefully these go in and get approved quickly … I fully endorse and support these projects.”

Councillor Matt Constance (Div 10) said it was important to note that parts of the region, without a project on list, had not “missed out”.

“The opportunity here to receive State or Federal funding for these projects, will often free up funding for other parts of the region,” he said.