Warriewood Valley Community Centre: $9.5m construction set to begin — at last
Work on building a long-awaited new $9.5m community centre for indoor sport and recreational activities on the northern beaches is set to start. See what it will look like.
Manly
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Work on a new $9.5 million community centre on the northern beaches — two and a half years after the project was approved by planners — is set to start.
And the new Warriewood Valley Community Centre, to replace the old, but popular, Nelson Heather Centre, will cost close to $2m more than first forecast.
Designed by architects with offices in Denmark and Sydney, the Northern Beaches Council infrastructure was originally costed at $7.6m when it first went out for public feedback in August 2020.
The new centre in Jacksons Rd, designed by architecture firm Terroir, features distinctive exposed blond-coloured wooden beams and will make use of skylights to further brighten the interior.
Terroir’s V-shaped complex won a design competition between five firms invited by the council to take part.
While the Nelson Heather Centre, at the corner of Pittwater and Jackson roads, has just two halls and a meeting room, the new premises has room for five multipurpose halls, which can be used for a wide range of sport and recreation activities, and two multipurpose meeting rooms.
The new centre, which will be easily accessible to those with mobility issues, will also have a community lounge room, large covered outdoor spaces which overlook landscaped gardens, modern and accessible amenities including showers and lockers and multiple and adaptable kitchen facilities.
The council described the centre, near the Warriewood Square shopping mall, as an “attractive, modern, and resilient building” with the capacity to switch to an Emergency and Recovery Centre during storm or bushfire events.
Events at the current centre include Bridge clubs and competitions; Zumba classes, table tennis and University of the Third Age.
Independent Narrabeen Ward councillor Vincent De Luca welcomed news that work would begin in April, to be completed late 2025, weather permitting.
“I’m glad that it’s finally opening,” Cr De Luca said. “It should have been delivered years go.”
For more council information about the new centre, click here.
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