Boats in the Shellharbour Marina, which will soon be able to access the Shellharbour Boathouse for services. Photo: Kellie O’Brien.
Shellharbour City Council will begin selecting a contractor for the design and construction of the long-awaited boathouse at Shellharbour Marina, promising significant economic and employment opportunities.
Shellharbour Boathouse will be a purpose-built marine facility located at 15 Maritime Drive as part of the Shell Cove Boat Harbour Precinct and the broader vision to establish Shell Cove as a high-quality maritime, tourism and recreational destination.
It will provide maintenance facilities for boat owners seeking to service or repair boats, with the opportunity to generate employment within the marine industry.
Tenders for the project closed in August and three submissions were received, with council moving to now negotiate directly with one of the shortlisted parties to refine the project scope and finalise and execute the contract.
Councillor Kellie Marsh, who has been elected unopposed as deputy mayor for another year, championed the project.
“The boathouse has been a dream and now becoming a reality for the community,” Cr Marsh said.
“This is part of the big picture and the big puzzle with Shell Cove.
“It’s always been about the boathouse bringing employment and new industry to Shellharbour, which is greatly needed.
“There aren’t a lot of facilities where people can go and get some of these works undertaken on their boat.
“How wonderful that they can come to Shell Cove/Shellharbour Marina and do it there.”
Councillor John Davey praised the project and the inclusion of a 75-tonne boat lift, enabling comprehensive marine maintenance services previously unavailable in the Shellharbour area.
“It’s a welcome asset as it goes forward into production and creation,” Cr Davey said.
“I’m definitely supporting this, as our marina goes from strength to strength and its reputation increases, not only nationally, but internationally.
“With a fully completed boathouse, it just lifts the efficacy of the marina.”
Councillor Rob Petreski said he looked forward to it coming to fruition, echoing the benefits of boats no longer needing to travel for maintenance and upgrades.
“Shell Cove, the marina, is a complex operation, and this is an integral part in being able to service and maintain the boats we now house in the marina,” Cr Petreski said.
“Currently, if boats are over a certain size, they need to go elsewhere to get that service done.
“If we can provide this service here in-house, it will provide jobs and it will provide an ongoing industry for our local residents in our community.
“That’s one of the reasons we actually first proposed the Shell Cove marina was to make sure we diversify our economy and have different employment options for our residents.”
He said along with offering employment and improved services, it would help tourism by allowing it to become “more of a drawcard to what is already a fantastic drawcard for our area”.
Mayor Chris Homer said this piece of infrastructure would “really ramp up the economic multiplier of benefits to Shellharbour” and the wider region.
The project is expected to also improve public amenities by integrating retail spaces and community areas into the design.
Councillor Moira Hamilton said she had watched the development for 30 years and praised its potential to generate employment.
Among the risk considerations was impacts on the neighbouring residents and surrounding public areas during construction activities, with construction activities and associated noise levels to be restricted and managed through plans to be produced by the contractor.
As part of the recommendation, council has declined further tender offers due to an already competitive process for submissions and to avoid any further delays.
Councillors unanimously endorsed the motion to enter into negotiations with a contractor to assist in moving forward the design and construction of the Shellharbour Boathouse.
