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A Sydney council has left a multi-million dollar hole in the ground after knocking a building down without the funds to build its replacement.
Ryde’s old Civic Centre was demolished in 2021 to make way for a new venue, dubbed the “new heart of Ryde”, which was meant to increase the area’s facilities four-fold.
The knockdown has already cost ratepayers $20 million, but the project has been hit by a $113 million shortfall.
9News understands the initial budget for the reconstruction allegedly relied on the illegal transfer of funds from the council’s reserves, which did not go ahead.
Now, the council’s solution is to fill the hole.
“We can’t leave that hole there, attracting mosquitos, it’s been two years, there’s a hole there,” Mayor Sarkis Yedelian told 9News.
Ryde councillor Bernard Purcell said he would prefer a different solution, as filling the hole could lead to more problems down the track.
“We should not be putting a band aid on it, we should not be filling it in, putting our heads in the sand,” he said.
“You [would] have to re-excavate the hole to realise what we should be doing right now, not in 5-10 years’ time.”
Locals have been left confused by the blunder, saying they are “disappointed” by the shortfall.
“I’d like to see what was supposed to go there, because it was going to be brilliant for the Ryde community,” one resident told 9News.
“It’s a shame that they weren’t able to sort it out from the start,” another said.
The pit is on track to be filled in the next six months.
It could take up to ten years before the new civic centre is built.
