Decision looms over $6.9m Long Reef Surf Club redevelopment
The push to demolish a 70-year-old northern beaches’ surf club to make way for a $6.9m state-of-the-art facility is a step closer to reality with a State Government planning panel set to determine its fate.
Manly
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Planning authorities are next week set to begin determining the fate of a multimillion-dollar proposal to demolish the Long Reef Surf Life Saving Club and replace it with a state-of-the-art facility.
If the $6.9 million development gets the go-ahead by a NSW Government Planning Panel, the rebuild would go ahead, despite the council earlier confirming it would need to delay some projects due to COVID-19.
The redevelopment application, submitted by Northern Beaches Council, has been in the pipeline for more than a decade — with Long Reef Surf Life Saving Club formally approaching the council in 2017 to reactivate the plans for a new surf club building and beach facilities.
There have been moves to revamp the club and surrounding amenities since 2005.
At a public teleconference, scheduled for 11.30am on April 22, the Sydney North Planning Panel will examine plans to demolish the existing clubhouse and amenities buildings to make way for three new buildings including a two-storey clubhouse with SLSC storage, gym, training room and function rooms.
The application also forecasts the creation of a new amenities block.
A planner for the project said the new facilities were designed to “meet the current and future needs of the club and the local community”.
“The aims of the project are to provide a fit for purpose modern facility to suit the needs of the club, lifeguards, and the community (and) address the shortcomings of the current facility.”
Plans for a new cafe, fitted below a plant-based green roof, will also include storage lockers for council and community groups.
The council, which said the redevelopment is estimated to cost $6.9 million based on quantity surveyor estimates for designs submitted with the development application, said it was contributing $1.9 million towards the project.
The NSW Government is handing over $3.1 million from its Stronger Communities Fund and another $1.9 million is coming from the federal government.
The Manly Daily this week revealed that due to the COVID-19 emergency the council was looking to defer $20m from the forecast $100m capital works programs over the next 16 months to help save money.
The draft 2020/21 capital expenditure budget stands at $92m and includes the Long Reef Surf Life Saving Club revamp as well as a new Mona Vale Surf Life Saving Club and the Narrabeen Lagoon pedestrian and cycle bridge.
When questioned on this earlier this week, Mayor Michael Regan said the council was in a solid position to weather the budget impact of the crisis.
“Our plan, which the councillors have been fully briefed on, is to manage the forecast $100 million capital work programs by deferring some projects to future years, allowing us to keep supporting our local employees while delivering services to help our community through this difficult time,” Mayor Regan said.