NSW Government looks for new builder as Allianz stadium sits in rubble
The controversial decision to knock down and rebuild Sydney’s Allianz stadium shows no signs of getting any easier for the NSW Government as it begins the search for new builder.
The site is now just a pile of rubble after being demolished by Lendlease, who have refused to reconstruct it for the amount of money the Berejiklian government were willing to fork out.
NSW Sport Minister John Sidoti said Lendlease’s stage two offer “did not meet the government’s expectations, so we are looking for another builder in a competitive market”.
“The NSW government is committed to delivering the Sydney Football Stadium on time and within the project budget for the people of NSW,” Sidoti said.
But it now looks like the new stadium won’t be ready for January 2022, with the opening date pushed back until July. The budget has also blown out only months into the development from an original estimate of $729 million to $800 million, according to The Daily Telegraph.
The government was forced to admit on Friday that only a demolition contract had been signed and the construction contract had yet to be signed at the time of the March state election.
“If any contractor doesn’t provide what the government’s asked for, we’ll look elsewhere and that’s what’s happened in this circumstance,” Berejiklian said.
“I’m absolutely confident; the timeline’s there for us to meet, the budget’s there for us to meet, there are other interested parties and I look forward to issuing a contract.”
Sheridan Randall, 29th July 2019
