Squash legend Michelle Martin fronts campaign to save North Manly courts
One of Australia’s greatest squash players is leading a mission to save the last publicly owned courts on the northern beaches.
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A four-time world women’s squash champion is fronting a campaign to save the last publicly-owned squash courts on the northern beaches.
Michelle Martin, who also won two squash gold medals at the Commonwealth Games, fears the three council-owned courts at North Manly could be bulldozed — and not replaced — as part of a redevelopment of the existing Warringah Recreation Centre.
Ms Martin, from Queenscliff, coaches at the ageing three-court squash facility, which is leased to a private operator. It is contained within a parcel of land that also accommodates tennis and futsal (soccer) courts.
Northern Beaches Council has previously announced plans to regenerate the site, at the junction of Kentwell and Pittwater roads, into a sporting and community hub that includes the Warringah Golf Clubhouse.
The golf club is preparing a development application to build its new $6m two-storey community clubhouse on the site, understood to be built on, or close to, the site of the existing squash courts.
The proposed building will be open to the public, not just golf club members. The club’s old clubhouse, on nearby Condamine St has already been sold.
Preliminary drawings of the new community clubhouse, released in 2020, show two outdoor family terraces, one facing a putting green and another facing towards tennis and futsul courts.
Ms Martin said the council must ensure that squash courts were included in the redevelopment of the precinct.
She pleaded directly with councillors at the May 24 general meeting to support squash on the northern beaches by building a facility with at least six courts, which could also host national and international competition as well as school, local and social competitions.
“Squash has not declined in numbers due to a lack of interest, it is declined due to a lack of facilities,” Ms Martin told the council.
“Imagine if there were only three soccer fields, three cricket ovals or three netball courts on the whole of the northern beaches.
“Imagine these sports did not get council support and they were redeveloped for other sports, there would be a riot, and rightfully so.”
On Monday Ms Martin said had not seen any official detail of what could happen to the squash facility as part of the transformation of the recreation centre site.
“I’m trying to get clarity for our sport to make sure there are facilities in the area and to help grow the sport again.
“There’s a whole generation of kids, if you talk about squash, they go “what?’.
“If it’s in a new warm environment, not the dungeon that it’s in now, then it shows the sport in a whole new light that will attract a new generation of players”.
It is understood that a squash operator had tendered to take over the neighbouring former North Manly Bowling Club site, but was unsuccessful.
The council said it could not yet confirm any information about the squash courts’ future.
Council CEO Ray Brownlee said that Warringah Golf Club was still working on its plans with the intent to submit a development application for a new building on this site.
“The plan for other facilities on this site are yet to be finalised,” he said.
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