Manly Corso to undergo year-long ‘disruptive’ upgrade works
Manly’s Corso will be partially boarded off to allow a $12 million refit of shops and a 180-seat auditorium as the current state of the iconic tourist precinct has been likened to ‘a dog’s breakfast’.
Manly
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MANLY’S Corso will be partially boarded off from Thursday the next few weeks for up to a year to allow a $12 million refit of seven shops, as well as a huge new 180-seat auditorium for St Matthews Church.
The busy pedestrianised shopping precinct will see hoarding go up about 6m from the front of St Matthews Church, narrowing to about 4m from the front of the church-owned row of shops, ending at Humphreys.
Paving within that hoarded off section will be dug up and replaced with bitumen that will be able to withstand carrying truckloads of building material.
A telegraph pole will also have to be removed at the bottom of Darley Rd to allow trucks onto The Corso. The greenery and railings in front of the church will also go.
A previous plan to avoid disruption on The Corso by using a crane to lift material over the church and onto the landlocked site was dismissed due to safety reasons.
In addition to the retail refit, a basement will be built running underneath the shops and a second floor will be built above the shops, not visible from The Corso, which will allow for a new flexible 180 seat auditorium with kitchen and cafe facilities.
The current first floor will also undergo a refit with new kitchen facilities, a row of flexible classrooms and a large space.
The basement will be built for storage.
A new lift will allow for disabled access to all floors.
Church spokesman Tim Evans acknowledged the project would be “logistically difficult” and have a “huge impact” on The Corso.
However, he said the row of shops were dilapidated and desperately needed renovating.
“We are conscious having such a substantial hoarding is going to be disruptive for a period of time and other retailers are concerned about that,” Mr Evans said.
“We are doing everything we can to minimise that, but the bottom line is that it needs to be done and we have to do it.”
Mr Evans said the shops currently looked like a “dog’s breakfast” and a new refit would attract a higher class of tenant.
While the shops will keep the same historic facade on the first floor, new frontage and signage on the ground floor would be consistent.
“We are trying to bring the standard up,” Mr Evans said.
“We will be looking for iconic brands to move in, not $2 shops or surf shops, there’s enough of those already.”
He also said they didn’t want food outlets, but may consider one high end coffee shop.
Mostly, the church would be looking to fill the retail space with good quality clothing brands, that are currently not in Manly.
Mr Evans said Malouf’s Pharmacy, which had been in that row of shops, also had an option to move back in after the refit.
Minister Bruce Clarke said while the work would be disruptive, the not-for-profit venture would see a brand new auditorium for the people of Manly by December 2019, paid for by the rental income from the retailers.
He said while it would be heavily used by the church to cater for its fast-growing youth members, it would also be available to hire and St Matthews would offer low rates to help support community groups and not-for-profit groups.
“We have always been in the heart of the village, serving the community,” Minister Clarke said.
“That will continue.”
The Archbishop, Glenn Davies, has been invited to attend the official commencement of work on October 4, along with Bishop Chris Edwards and various people from the church and Northern Beaches Council.
The church is also partnering with the council to produce an interactive artwork to cover the hoarding that will stretch along the construction site.