Breaking News Headlines for Brisbane and Queensland | Courier Mail
www.couriermail.com.au
DEEPLY TROUBLED
If you believe the hype from Cbus Property, everything is just hunky dory with their ambitious unit project now under construction on the Brisbane CBD riverfront next to Customs House.
They’re especially happy that the $375 million tower at 443 Queen Street just snared a prestigious gong for its environmental credentials.
It’s apparently the nation’s first development to win a “six-star Green Star rating’’ from the Green Building Council of Australia.
Cbus boss Adrian Pozzo and his marketers have even dubbed it “Paradise in the Air’’.
But, behind the scenes, City Beat spies say the project remains deeply troubled.
It’s way behind schedule, still plagued with numerous technical problems and has become a financial disaster for construction firm Probuild and plenty of subcontractors.
Work on the 47-storey high-rise, featuring 264 units, should have been finished by now.
But they’re only up to level 32 and will be lucky to wrap up by October next year.
Cbus boss Adrian Pozzo.
“Four years to build 47 storeys! It’s unheard of in construction,’’ a source close to the project told us.
“All the subbies are panicking big time because nobody is going to make any money at all on this job.’’
A revolving door of Probuild site managers and other key project staff have only intensified the problems.
A major blunder has seen windows in nine levels above the eighth floor pulled out recently because glaziers discovered they hadn’t been properly ticked off.
That drama threw the work sequence out of whack, meaning plumbers, plasterers, tilers and other tradies were held up. There’s plenty of finger-pointing over who’s to blame so watch for the matter to potentially end up in court.
Artists impression of 443 Queen St.
Another drama revolves around COVID-19 restrictions on the use of three lifts on site, which allow only four people at a time instead of the usual 10.
With nearly 200 workers on the job, it’s taking some of them an hour before they can get started and that’s time they’re supposed to be productive.
We hear Probuild apparently wants them to put in longer hours but that’s run into opposition from the CFMEU.
Adding to the slowdown is the fact there’s only one crane on site instead of two as the firm seeks ways to cut costs.
A Probuild spin doctor declined to comment this week and wouldn’t address how much in liquidated damages the company might have to fork out because of the late delivery of the project.
A Cbus spokeswoman also would not respond to questions about the ongoing troubles, which have infuriated unit buyers. She acknowledged only “initial delays’’ related to “the complex nature of creating building foundations adjacent to the river’’.
