Suttons Beach Pavilion: how to have your say

Public consultation on the future of Suttons Beach Pavilion begins this week, so we asked Moreton Bay Regional Council how it will work and how the community can get involved. Here’s everything you need to know.

What form will public consultation take when it starts on Friday?

This will be online via the ‘Your Say Moreton Bay’ website. It will commence on Friday 11 February and remain active for a full month before community feedback is collated and considered.

How can people get involved?

Jump online to have your say from February 11, or sign up now to be notified when the survey is launched. Visit https://yoursay.moretonbay.qld.gov.au/

There will be printed versions of the survey available at Redcliffe Library and Council’s Redcliffe Administration Centre from next week.

Will there be public information sessions where people can ask questions?

All the information Council has on the pavilions is publicly available online. If anyone has read those reports and has further questions, they can contact council directly. Council is still waiting on the invasive testing to be done, so it will not yet have answers to the ‘unknown’ quantities in the report relating to things like the structural repairs of the upper-level walls and roof framing, as well as the dewatering and installation of both negative and positive side membrane to the rear wall.

But once the tenant’s lease ends, council will put that work out for tender and try to come back to the community with definitive answers around the extent of the damage and forecast repair costs - if repairing the structure is possible.

What are the next steps in examining and determining the building’s structural integrity?

Once the tenant vacates the premises, invasive testing can be undertaken by structural engineers. This will involve the removal of fixtures and fittings inside the buildings, to drill into the concrete slabs, walls ceilings and roofs and identify the exact extent of the damage that’s been done over the years.

Has council been given an estimate of how much it would cost to save the building?

Council will be only able to get a definitive answer on whether it is actually possible for the buildings to be saved and, if so, an accurate cost of this, once the invasive testing is complete. Based on what council knows at this stage, if the buildings can be saved at all, it would cost well over $10 million.

There are two petitions doing the rounds – an online petition with more than 11,000 signatures and a paper petition. Will council take these into account when deciding the site’s future?

The change.org will be accepted as correspondence, noting that no level of government accepts change.org as a legitimate petition because “signatories” can come from anywhere in the world and are not necessarily genuine stakeholders. Information on how to submit a petition is available online: https://www.moretonbay.qld.gov.au/Council/Governance/Petition-Council

When will council make its decision regarding demolition?

Once the invasive testing is complete and all elements can be considered, this will come to the Council chamber for consideration at a General Meeting, hopefully in July/August.

If the building cannot be saved, would council consider building a replica in its place?

This is one of the options to be considered as part of the month-long community engagement period. Mayor Peter Flannery says he is keen to hear from the community in this regard.

“Given the building’s heritage status has been eroded by renovations and additions over the years, I’d love to see an architecturally designed structure with real art deco value. I think this is synonymous with the Peninsula and important moving forward. I certainly don’t want any future Council to be put in the situation we’re in. But I know everyone has their own view and that’s why I encourage everyone to get involved in the community consultation,” he said.