Bondi Pavilion upgrade to be debated at Randwick for the third time in three months

Randwick Council passed a motion for work to halt on the Bondi Pavilion but before the ink could dry on the resolution a rescission motion was lodged.

L to R: Ayah -3 with Katrina de Jersey show their support at The Save Bondi Pavillion Concert in Bondi Pavillion. Picture: John Appleyard

Randwick Council passed a motion for work to halt on the Bondi Pavilion last night but a rescission motion lodged the same night means the issue will be debated again in July.

Randwick Labor councillor Kathy Neilson said the plans as they stand were too grandiose and she feared the community facility could potentially be turned into a “privatised palace of entertainment”.

“I don’t want to see community groups shut out of that building, I’d rather see the money spend on a facility to house more community activities.”

Randwick Labor councillor Tony Bowen said: “To me it symbolises all the risks with the merger. The needs in our community need to come before the Bondi Pavilion”.

Actor Michael Caton and Hoodoo Gurus frontman Dave Faulkner down in front of Bondi Pavilion for a story about the proposed upgrade.

Cr Neilson, Bowen and Greens councillor Lindsay Shurey successfully called for work to halt on planning for the Bondi Pavilion until the amalgamated council is in place at last night’s Randwick Council meeting.

But a rescission motion was lodged the same night by Liberal councillors Ted Seng, Kiel Smith and Scott Nash, forcing the issue back on the council agenda for the third time in three months.

Cr Nash said: “We are happy to have a debate, happy for the community to debate the issues but let’s do it in light of the facts”.

“The project is not going anywhere at the moment, when I look at the Waverley Council website it says there is a further round of community consultation proposed. A DA will not be finalised until after the new round of consultation is completed,” Cr Nash said.

“Waverley Council is developing a business case, they have not committed the millions of dollars being floated in discussions.”

NEW ROUND OF CONSULTATION

Waverley Council has hired independent firm KJA to ensure the next round of community consultation on the Bondi Pavilion upgrade is “transparent, accessible and open.”

The public will be able to comment on the $38 million redevelopment again from mid-July, this time with a focus on the first floor and cultural programs.

According to council documents, the new consultation will “build on broader consultation undertaken by council through development of the Bondi Plan of Management and exhibition of the concept design.”

Residents will be unable to consider any alternate concepts for the upgrade.

The Zumba group, users of the Pavilion, perform their routines at The Save Bondi Pavillion Concert in Bondi Pavillion. Picture: John Appleyard

Mayor Sally Betts was prepared to release the “alternate” plans with certain restrictions on their content at last Tuesday’s Waverley Council meeting, but eventually voted against the motion.

After denying the existence of these plans to Wentworth Courier earlier this month, Cr Betts reaffirmed her position saying the other options mentioned at the meeting were just sketches.

“The staff looked at these sketches and chose one of them to give to the architect to work into a bigger plan,” she said. “The staff suggested this plan was more aligned with what the community wanted and their recommendation went forward.”

At the meeting, Labor Cr John Wakefield said the two other plans cost much less than $38 million. “These should have been given to us all and been made available to the public through this entire process,” he said.

“These should be the only things that form the basis of this new community consultation process.”

Save Bondi Pavilion hosted a concert at the building on Sunday to showcase local talent. Acts included Dave Faulkner of the Hoodoo Gurus, Dog Trumpet and young band Haze Trio.

The group has used its fight against the plans in a wider campaign to bring Wentworth MP Malcolm Turnbull into the debate.

Reg Mombassa from Dog Trumpet, performs. The Save Bondi Pavillion Concert in Bondi Pavillion. Picture: John Appleyard

Group organiser Kilty O’Brien said the upgrade was one of the biggest projects in council’s history and for alternate plans not to be discussed in an open meeting was “unheard of”.

“The Local Government Act states any information available to one councillor needs to be shared with all councillors. This is a basic principle of governance,” she said.

“The concert demonstrates why the pavilion must remain a public building, accessible to all.”