Contractor appointed to demolish Central Pier

Contractor appointed to demolish Central Pier
Sean Car

Development Victoria (DV) has announced that it has appointed the same contractor who removed Central Pier’s western tip in 2022 to oversee the demolition of the remainder of the heritage structure.

DV’s acting group head of precincts Niall Cunningham said DV had “started the first step in the process of removing Central Pier with the appointment of Fitzgerald Construction Australia as lead contractor after a competitive public process”.

“Removal work is anticipated to begin by the second half of 2023,” Mr Cunningham told Docklands News, with the highly specialised removal works estimated to take around two years to complete.

Central Pier was permanently closed in early 2020 due to safety concerns and has continued to deteriorate in Victoria Harbour amid the pandemic, an ongoing legal dispute with the pier’s former tenants, and applying for approvals from Heritage Victoria.

Heritage Victoria approved a permit for DV to remove the remaining unsafe pier structure last year under the requirements of the Heritage Act 2017 due to its registration as a place of historical significance to Docklands, and the City of Melbourne.

DV said that removal of the pier was the first step towards supporting the revitalisation of the waterfront along Harbour Esplanade, having recently completed a community engagement process at the end of 2022.

The feedback collected has been captured in an Engagement Summary Report, which is expected to be made publicly available in the coming months.

The revitalisation of Harbour Esplanade has been included as part of the scope of consultion for Central Pier, with DV seeking to create one of Australia’s “premier waterfronts”. •

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