by Cam Lucadou-Wells
Greater Dandenong councillors were set to decide whether to scrap a laneway project to prop up multi-million-dollar blowouts to the long-delayed Dandenong New Art gallery.
The DNA contemporary art gallery set in a former Masonic hall at 5 Mason Street was originally due to open as a “state-of-the art” attraction in mid-2021.
It is now expected to be completed by late-2026 and cost an extra $6.24 million – in what councillor Jim Memeti calls the “biggest stuff-up I’ve seen on my two decades on council”.
It means the project will effectively double in price to an estimate $12-13 million.
“The community wants a new gallery and is very upset. I’m also very upset,” Cr Memeti said.
“It has been sitting there for the past four years. It’s either badly handled by our contractor or the council officers, and it’s taken so long to tender out.
“The council said it was doing the job and it unfortunately hasn’t happened.
“Sometimes you’re better off buying vacant land and building something new instead.”
A council report on 8 July proposes to stop the Vanity Lane project, investigate selling the property and divert funds into saving the DNA gallery.
The rest of the shortfall would be covered by allocations from the council’s Dandenong Activity Centre Precinct Reserve and its Major Projects Reserve.
The move follows an internal review of the significant delays and cost rises blighting the council’s “key major projects”.
The yet-to-be-built aquatic facility Dandenong Wellbeing Centre and Keysborough South Community Hub’s price-tags have continually escalated – the former’s latest expected cost was more than $98 million.
There was an “understanding” that “all projects would not be able to be delivered in their current scope”, the 8 July report stated.
They were brought to a long standstill during a dispute with builder Harris HMC as well as with Covid-related supply, labour and cost issues.
Last year, the council attempted to take over the job and rectify “unacceptable” steel framing in the building as well as inground services to “derisk” the project for future builders.
According to the latest report, the majority of those works were complete but photos depict an empty shell without a floor. The steel structure frame is currently located off-site.
The expected rebuild would take two further years, plus six months of tendering. The exact cost for the project was unknown at this stage.
Meanwhile, Vanity Lane was intended to be a pedestrian-priority lane between 275 Lonsdale Street and Thomas Street.
After a concept design was done in 2020, the project now faces a projected $1-million-plus shortfall.
Detailed design work was now about 75 per cent complete, according to the council report. Demolition, tendering and construction was expected to take 16 months.
The report identified a safety flaw in the design, with waste vehicles and loading vehicles sharing the pedestrian space.
Councillor Rhonda Garad said she didn’t believe “any significant progress” had been made to DNA.
“It’s quite extraordinary just the number of issues that have gone on here. The length of time that it’s taken is very concerning.”
Cr Garad was opposed to the “short-sighted” abandonment of Vanity Lane, which was key to activating the area between the Capital Alliance redevelopment of Little India and Lonsdale Street.
“Retailers along Lonsdale Street were in expectation that this project would be done.
“That area of the city could be enlivened with food, drinks and entertainment areas because you’re going to have a living population there.”
However Cr Memeti said he was “never a big fan” of Vanity Lane’s conflict as a loading bay and pedestrian pathway.
The DNA Gallery had been touted to be a gallery of regional significance.
It will include state-of-the-art exhibition spaces, workshop spaces, café and retail, active outdoor spaces and public art.
