CONSTRUCTION NEWS AROUND AUSTRALIA

I could not help but post this as i am a die hard fan of Minisry of sound especially
the Annual and Session's CD'S

WORLD famous dance club outfit the Ministry of Sound will open its first Australian venue at a revamped St Kilda waterfront development at the centre of a long-running legal saga. Part of the historic St Kilda seafront is set for a $60 million makeover, which will also restore the resort's heritage-listed Palais theatre.

The 15,000 square-metre “Triangle” site will also feature tiny lanes, promenades and walkways linking entertainment venues, art spaces and retail outlets.

“This is a clever and considered use of the space, a who's who of Melbourne and Australian architects, hospitality, fashion and live music industries,” Port Phillip mayor Janet Bolitho said today.

“It's everything you love about St Kilda, only more of it.”

A consortium led by Babcock & Brown was today named as the winning bidder to develop the dilapidated site.

The new design would remain true to Federation-era St Kilda architect Carlo Catani.

“This is a truly remarkable result ... it (the Triangle) is certainly known as a tired and iconic site, which will be turned into an inspiration,” Victorian Planning Minister Justin Madden said.

“This is the whole package which brings together what we know and love in St Kilda. In a diverse and profound way, it draws upon the eccentricities, the dynamic of St Kilda and, in particular, the mix that we know and love about St Kilda.”

More on http://theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,21793140-25658,00.html

Hale St Bridge decission (Australia)

The successful bidder for the contract to build the controversial $210 million Hale St bridge will be announced next Monday after a closed session of council. The John Holland Group and the Hale St Link Alliance of Bouygues Construction, Macmahon Holdings, Seymour Whyte Holdings and Hyder Consulting, are the two groups vying for the lucrative contract. They will be notified of council's decision just after 11am, following a morning of meetings and briefings between councillors and city administrators. Liberal Lord Mayor Campbell Newman said council would then reconvene in the open to further debate and vote on the matter.

Cr Newman said the meeting had to be closed to the public and media because of commercial and market sensitivities involved with awarding such a large contract. Work on the four-lane toll bridge to connect South Brisbane with the inner-city suburb of Milton is due to begin shortly after June and council is anticipating a 2010 completion date. The tenderers are also expected to outline in their bids how traffic disruptions will be managed during construction. Brisbane City Council recently got the go-ahead to borrow up to $245 million for the bridge's construction. Queensland Treasury Corporation approved a loan for around $38 million more than the expected $207 million cost, which Cr Newman said at the time was in line with a worst-case construction cost scenario.