North Sydney Council plans to demolish McMahons Point house for new coffee cart, toilet block

A notorious harbourfront property with links to the Sydney’s Shark Arm Murder mystery is at the centre of a new tussle as a cash-strapped council plans to bulldoze the site to make way for a ‘coffee cart kiosk’.

A notorious harbourfront property with links to the Sydney’s Shark Arm Murder mystery is at the centre of a new tussle.

Residents are fighting by plans by cash-strapped North Sydney Council to spend $1.3m bulldozing the site to make way for facilities including a ‘coffee cart kiosk’ and a toilet block.

A long-running campaign to revive the dilapidated property perched on waterfront land at McMahons Point has taken a new turn as the council releases plans to redevelop the site with public facilities including a kayak storage shed, toilet block, viewing platform and a coffee kiosk.

The building on Henry Lawson Ave has a rich history and is known for its links to the notorious Shark Arm Murder mystery of the 1930s.

At the time, the building was owned by wealthy boatbuilder Reginald Holmes, who was implicated in the murder investigation of a small-time criminal under his employment whose severed arm was found spat out by a tiger shark on Coogee Beach.

The dilapidated house.

A man known to both men was also implicated in the grisly find however an extensive and high profile coronial investigation into the case was unable to reach a definitive conclusion on the criminal’s death.

In the decades since, the waterfront home has continued to decay and is now destined for the bulldozer as part of the council’s development plans.

The building has been off-limits to residents for years.

But the response to the plans has been swift with dozens of submissions to the council raising almost unanimous opposition to the proposal.

In one submission, local doctor Philippa Ramsay said she was “appalled” by the redevelopment and raised concerns it could “gentrify and overdevelop the site”.

“We have enough cafes and overdevelopment. We just want the beautiful natural harbour to shine and we don’t need any more overspending,” she wrote.

The inclusion of the coffee cart has also sparked claims the council is seeking to “commercialise” as it struggles with a multimillion budget blowout on the council-funded redevelopment of the North Sydney Olympic Pool.

The building has seen better days.

Resident Zoe Harvey said the council’s plans had “come as a shock” to the community and believes the development risks attracting more visitors who would clog streets with extra traffic and leave behind rubbish.

“This litter problem will only grow with a coffee kiosk and public viewing platform,” she wrote.

Nearby homeowners David and Pam Uther have also slammed the inclusion of a toilet block, saying it would “ruin” the surrounding parkland.

Multiple residents said the plans are incongruous with a long-held aim of the council to have the site returned to the community as public open green space.

The council’s plans for the site have sparked opposition from multiple residents.

Other gripes by residents include impacts on harbour views, a lack of carparking and the overall cost of the project.

Proposed works by the council include the partial demolition of the existing dilapidated boat shed, and the replacement of the historic slipway at the site.

Plans by the council stated the development would “improve public access and enjoyment of the foreshore”.

A look inside the property.

“The site is currently boarded up due to the state of disrepair and raises safety concerns and removing the structures will address safety concerns and create further open space for the community to enjoy,” the plans stated.

“The proposal will not create any significant amenity impacts with regard to overshadowing, privacy or view loss.”

In 2021, the former privately owned site was compulsorily acquired by the State Government but later transferred to council with the expectation it would become public open space.

The harbourfront site overlooks Sydney Harbour.

Multiple residents have argued the development plans were in breach of United Nations World Heritage buffer zone protections which incorporate the Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge

“It is completely unacceptable to blight the sight lines to those world-famous icons with public toilets and a storage area for kayaks, not to mention a coffee cart!” one submission to the council stated.

Concerns over the proposal have also been aired at a Lavender Bay Community Precinct meeting where residents passed a resolution for the council to delete the toilet block, coffee cart, and kayak storage facilities from its plans.

In a statement, a North Sydney Council spokeswoman said the council has “noted the submissions that were made in response to the development application” and will “work with the community in relation to the matters raised.”