Residents fume as ‘last’ original beach house to be demolished for luxury apartments

Residents in a pocket of Sydney’s Northern Beaches are fuming after learning the one of the “last” original beach houses in the area is set to be demolished.

Residents in a pocket of Sydney’s Northern Beaches are fuming after learning the one of the “last” original beach houses in the area is set to be demolished to make way for a multimillion-dollar apartment block.

The Ocean Ave property, a short walk from Newport Beach, is one of three houses to be bulldozed by luxury property developer IPM to build its new ‘Oceans’ apartment complex.

Each of the nine apartments in the block will include three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and two parking space, with the project set to cost more than $6.9 million, according to Northern Beaches Council documents.

IPM artist impression of the Oceans development. Picture: IPM

But the sentiment from locals is that the project will cost much more than it is worth when it eliminates “the last of the original beach houses” in the area.

Toni, a Newport Beach local for more than 30 years, shared her disappointment at the property’s impending doom in a post to a community Facebook group.

She said she was “saddened” each day she drives by the home, and accused the Northern Beaches Council of not caring “for heritage” by not protecting the property.

She later told Daily Mail Australia she had “always loved” the property, which was emblematic of classic beach living.

“It (the home) is pretty original, from the light at the front porch to the timber, the amazing trees in the backyard, the quaintness, the atmosphere and the calmness of the property,’ she said.

“We love the bush and history of the northern beaches, but regrettably it is being erased by development.”

Toni shared her frustrations about the development on Facebook. Picture: Facebook.

The home has been boarded up and left to wither since it was sold in 2021. Picture: Facebook.

The single-storey dwelling has many of the quintessential characteristics of a classic mid-century Sydney beach house: built of weatherboard and fibro, with large lawn areas, a wide veranda, and a flat or angled roof.

Although the homes once dotted the east coast, especially the northern beaches, Toni said, many have been replaced by luxury multistorey apartment blocks or subdivided into townhouses as land values skyrocket.

“It’s Newport, the beach houses, towels over the fence, kids running in the front yard with neighbours,” Toni said of the home.

“It’s what poetry is written about. It had a great feeling about it.

“Now we are surrounded by uninteresting bunker-style dwellings.”

The luxury complex features nine three-bed, two-bathroom apartments. Picture: IPM

According to realestate.com.au, the “last” beach house at 11 Ocean Ave was sold in September 2021 for $3.4 million. It has since been boarded up and left to wither until demolition day.

Its neighbour number 13, also soon-to-be flattened, was last sold in March 2002 for $695,000 – and as of March 2023 was estimated to be worth around $2.79 million.

That same estimate put the third home in the demolition bundle – a three-bedroom, two-bathroom blue fibro hutch at 17 Ocean Ave – at around $2.82 million.

Northern Beaches Council approved the project’s deferred commencement approval on September 8, 2022 after a number of issues – including building height, privacy, engineering, landscape and waste – were raised and addressed. IPM, the developer, is still to address issues regarding stormwater drainage easement.

Construction will not begin until all issues raised have been amended.

But Toni is leading the criticism against IPM, ranking them among “outsiders” who do not respect the heritage of the house and wanted to “remove what (locals) first loved about the area”.

“I feel people move to the northern beaches for the feel of the area, the beaches, the bushland and the trees but don’t value it when it comes to their piece of paradise,” she said.

“We really feel more should be done to preserve older-style houses in the northern beaches because when it’s gone, it’s gone.”

Three beach houses will be knocked over for the multimillion-dollar ‘Oceans’ project. Picture: IPM.

The online listing for the ‘Oceans’ apartments touts the complex as “pure coastal luxury” in one of the “most desirable villages in Sydney’s Northern Beaches”.

News.com.au approached IPM for comment on the project and community concerns, but a spokesperson did not respond before this article was published.

However, despite the strong emotional attachment to the classic home, the property is not protected by any official heritage listing, according to council documents.

Its Development Application Assessment Report concluded the proposed development site was “not a heritage item, in the vicinity or a heritage item, or in a conservation area or archaeological site”.

Therefore, unlike the 1950s beach cottages in Currawong, which have been placed on the councils’ heritage list, this house was not protected under heritage law.

An aerial map of the three properties soon to be demolished. Picture: Google Maps / Northern Beaches Council

Northern Beaches Council did not respond to news.com.au’s request for comment before this article was published.

However, interim CEO Louise Kerr told the Daily Mail the council was “committed to heritage management and protection”, and the heritage team continued to undertake “thorough reviews and heritage studies”.

“Any built or natural item included on Council’s heritage list are protected. Council has an obligation to follow state planning legislation when assessing development applications,” she said.

“If a building is not heritage listed, it cannot be protected from demolition.”

A Heritage NSW spokesperson told news.com.au such listings are determined by council and provide “formal recognition that a place or object has heritage significance for the community and should be protected under law”.

Originally published as Residents fume as ‘last’ original beach house to be demolished for luxury apartments