The state government’s hopes of ending a $1 billion dispute with building magnate Len Buckeridge over the James Point port project appear to have been dashed, with the developer’s lawyer revealing that mediation efforts had failed.
Hotchkin Hanly partner Michael Hotchkin confirmed to Business News that Mr Buckeridge planned to press ahead with the legal action that would most likely be resolved in court.
Consultants to the project were expected to be told yesterday.
Last month, Premier Colin Barnett had sought to strike a private deal with Mr Buckeridge for the sale of the Kwinana Bulk Terminal in the hopes of bringing to an end the BGC chairman’s lawsuit against the state over the proposed port at Kwinana, which had been stalled by various governments for more than a decade.
Mr Hotchkin said the developer had become frustrated by ongoing delays in resolving the matter and that the mediation process had been abandoned after two days.
