Millions of dollars, new contractor needed for Chancery Lane Complex: King

Planning Minister Mary King told reporters Wednesday the government of Trinidad and Tobago will have to find a new contractor and millions of additional dollars to finish the Chancery Lane Complex in San Fernando.

The complex was supposed to be completed in August 2007 at a cost of $296 million.

However King said so far the project has cost $440 million and would need "another few hundred million more to finish it.”

The Complex is one of the major development projects for South Trinidad, providing a centralised location for working, shopping, entertainment and learning. The 300,000 sq. ft. Complex includes:

• A 10-storey office tower, with rooftop atrium suitable for private corporate functions
• Three storeys of retail space, which include shopping areas and a food court facility
• A 50,000 sq. ft., 2-storey public library area
• Three storeys of public car parking facilities with additional parking on the external grounds of the facility and
• Facilities for the disabled, including access ramps and washrooms

King revealed that work on the project stopped in April after contractor Johnston International left the site. "Obviously there are contractor problems, the contractor left the site, so we now have to find a new contractor or contractors in order to finish...I haven’t found out why they left. I will have a meeting with officials,” she told reporters