There is finally some movement on improvements to the Brunswick Heads Boat Harbour, with Transport for NSW Maritime announcing on its website it will fund electrical upgrades to the existing boating facilities.
Yet the future of the Bruns Fish Co-Op building, which has sat vacant since 2017, is unknown.
An online statement by Transport for NSW Maritime says contractors are being sought to upgrade power that services the harbour berths, and that the waitlist for berths has closed ‘until after the project is completed’.
A diagram shows the existing electrical line passing through the former Bruns Fish Co-Op building, and a new electrical connection proposed to be placed around the property. The electrical work is expected to begin in early 2025, and take about two months.
The statement adds, ‘At this stage, the number of berths that will become available will not be known until construction is complete’.
The last ‘community update’ around the harbour was October 2021, and it appears Echo inquiries have prompted the department into action.
Transport for NSW Maritime says the ‘project is in the early stages of development’, despite releasing the Brunswick Heads Boat Harbour Master Plan in October 2021.
That masterplan appears to have been abandoned, and rebranded as the ‘Brunswick Heads Boat Harbour upgrade project’.
The statement continues, ‘As the result of recent flooding in the area [2022], we still have some critical site investigations to complete and will finalise these when conditions improve’.
With site investigations now complete, Transport for NSW Maritime says the Review of Environmental Factors (REF) ‘will be available soon’.
‘We will invite community feedback on the project proposal when the concept design and REF go on public display’.
Negotiations?
The Echo asked Transport for NSW Maritime, ‘Have there been any negotiations with the former Bruns Fish Co-Op owner, William Silverman, around the harbour’s future?’.
A Transport for NSW (TfNSW) spokesperson replied, ‘As described in our recent community update, TfNSW will upgrade the utilities at Brunswick Heads Boat Harbour in preparation for a possible future harbour upgrade’.
‘This includes an upgrade to the electrical supply that will provide TfNSW as harbour manager with a dedicated supply to harbour infrastructure as a source of power for licensed berth holders.
‘TfNSW will keep the community updated as the project development progresses’.
Prior to closure in 2017, Mr Silverman accused Crown Lands, who manage surrounding lands, of not being responsive to his vision for the site, which was for ‘a simple working port with food hospitality jobs, and training for young people, and a community centre. A place for people to come and enjoy simple things like boating, fishing, kayaking and a showcase of local produce for locals and tourists.’
The Echo asked Mr Silverman why the co-op has remained closed for so long, and what vision he has for the site, post the 2022 flood.
‘Also, why do you believe this electrical work is being undertaken? It appears to circumvent your property’.
He described the former harbour masterplan and promises made to community as ending in a ‘scam’.
‘There was a commission of inquiry into Crown Lands. So they moved responsibility to Transport NSW, wasting five years of effort and money’.
‘Then they came up with the upgrade of the marina. Consultations produced massive differences between what was proposed, with community underlining the first priority is toilets and changing rooms. This proposal to upgrade the power to circumvent the cables running under private land. It’s a waste of money because power and water has been supplied to the port in this way for 20 years. The community is being taken for a long ride’, Mr Silverman added.
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