Future of Manly’s old Sea Life aquarium site remains undecided after COVID-19 delay
Since Manly’s popular Sea Life aquarium closed its doors in January 2018 the future of the site has been unclear.
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The future use of the site of a once popular — but now abandoned — northern beaches’ tourist attraction remains clouded more than two years after it shut its doors.
COVID-19 is now being blamed by the NSW Government for a decision not being made about what will happen to land accommodating the old the Sea Life Sanctuary aquarium at Manly.
Owned by Roads ands Maritime Services (RMS), a division of Transport for NSW, the aquarium closed in January 2018.
RMS has previously said it has been approached by several parties with an interest in taking on the site on West Esplanade and would seek expressions of interest for the lease of the site in the first half of 2018 “in accordance with the current zoning.”
Then in August last year, in response to a local entrepreneur saying he wanted to transform the derelict site into a high-quality live entertainment venue for 1300 patrons, RMS said it “expects to invite formal expressions of interest from the community later this year (2019).
The site is currently zoned for recreational waterway use that only allows for boat sheds, environmental facilities and water-based recreation structures.
The zoning prohibits industries; multi dwelling housing; residential flats; seniors housing and; warehouse or distribution centres.
Northern Beaches Council’s Manly West Esplanade Heritage Activation Plan recommends the aquarium be demolished to unblock the view to the heritage-listed swimming pavilion and that the site become public open space that could host events including community markets.
Mayor Michael Regan said the council appreciated the government had other priorities right now and looked forward to it turning its attention back to this site when it was able.
“We conducted extensive community consultation last year, asking residents how they’d like the West Esplanade area to look in the future and there was clear support for the existing building to be demolished and the area returned to public open space.”
This week Transport for NSW said the “re-tenanting” of the site was “currently on hold”.
On Tuesday Planning Minister Rob Stokes announced the first 24 projects to undergo a fast-tracked assessment process as part of the NSW Government’s new Planning System Acceleration Program designed to boost the state’s economy and create new jobs in response to the COVID-19 crisis.
None of those projects are on the northern beaches.
“The re-tenanting of the Transport for NSW-owned former Sea Life Aquarium at Manly is not one of those projects and is currently on hold,” the Transport spokesman said.
“A decision on when to offer the site to market will be made in due course.”