City of Darwin has today released an Expression of Interest (EOI) for office space to accommodate 175 staff in the CBD, for a period of up to 2 years.
The EOI stipulates that temporary office space, totalling 5,000m2, is required to accommodate staff who undertake City of Darwin’s core business functions, including administration, public functions, IT and operation of the Lord Mayor and CEO’s Offices. Library services and regulatory services, requiring 1,000m2 of the total office space, are included in the move and could be accommodated elsewhere.
The Civic Centre on Harry Chan Avenue, originally built in 1968, has required significant repairs and maintenance for some years and costs are expected to increase as the building ages.
Acting CEO for City of Darwin, Melissa Reiter, acknowledged maintenance costs were escalating.
“The Civic Centre has served us well for 52 years but is no longer meeting the requirements of the public or our staff. In addition, the building’s energy consumption is extremely high and the expense of repairs are becoming difficult to justify.”
The recent sale of City of Darwin’s Cavenagh Street Carpark to CDU for $14.6M will enable the progression of infrastructure projects across the city, including the Civic Centre, which will stimulate Darwin’s economy and create local jobs.
“City of Darwin continues to be part of the $200M 10-year Darwin City Deal, which will deliver positive long term outcomes for local businesses and our community.”
“The investment in the redevelopment of the Civic Centre will help transform our city, revitalise this public space and add greenery, colour and cooling to our CBD.”
“In the short term the temporary rental of office space in the CBD will provide financial certainty and inject significant funds into the local economy.”
“We anticipate the move happening as early as September,” Ms Reiter concluded.
The EOI closes at 2pm Thursday 6 August, 2020 and must be lodged through City of Darwin’s electronic tender portal.
