North Harbour Marina, Balgowlah: Council backs contentious upgrade plan
A council has backed a controversial bid to revamp a Sydney marina that sparked a tidal wave of pushback from locals worried that their tranquil waterway will be clogged with bigger boats.
NSW
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Northern Beaches Council has backed a push to revamp a popular private marina in North Harbour that sparked a tidal wave of complaints from locals.
Boaties and residents said they feared that North Harbour — stretching west from Manly to Balgowlah — would become clogged with bigger boats if the redevelopment is approved.
The property developer owners of North Harbour Marina want to add nine more berths — to a total of 44 — as well as set up a waterside kiosk on the site.
They also want to remove 10 swing moorings, which allow boats to be secured to a buoy and move with the wind and tides, to create a wider channel through adjacent Jillings Cove.
But when the council opened the development application (DA) for public feedback it was swamped with more than 250 submissions opposed to the refurbishment of what was known locally as “Davis Marina”. There were 17 submissions backing the proposal.
Concerns included potential environment damage due to an increase in the size and frequency of vessels in North Harbour wanting to use the improved facility.
Other were worried about increased noise coming from the kiosk, with outdoor seating, to open at 6am. It would be open to the general public.
The DA was referred to the independent Northern Beaches Local Planning Panel for assessment on July 16, due to the large number of submissions. In its assessment report to the panel, the council recommended the DA be approved.
In documents lodged with the application, Addenbrooke – a property investment and development company – stated that “as the demand for the facility increases” it wanted to provide improved facilities for its customers by adding nine more berths of varying sizes.
It also wanted to provide storage racks for 72 dinghies. Many of them were now left along the foreshore on the southern side of North Harbour.
The plan does not increase the footprint of the marina and the owners have agreed to limit the berth sizes to 15m in length.
The North Harbour Community Group opposed the DA, saying there would be a “loss of amenity” for locals because of the impact on kayakers, stand-up paddle boarders and small one-person sailing boats using the waterway.
“Most of the people who are recreational users of North Harbour are local residents, while the people owning and sailing the large boats seeking to berth at North Harbour Marina are unlikely to be local residents,” according to the group’s secretary, Terry Le Roux.
Local Kerry Smallman submitted that the introduction of a kiosk would mean an increase in traffic and impact the “already inadequate parking situation” in Gourlay Ave.
The council advised the planning panel that during the assessment of the DA, the proposal was amended to “reduce the scale and intensity of the development and the maximum size of boats being able to access the marina berths”.
The scale of the kiosk was reduced, including no sale of alcohol.
“The proposed works to the marina layout are compatible with the surrounding context and the desired future character of the harbour,” the council report stated.
The marina owners have been contacted for comment.
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Originally published as North Harbour Marina, Balgowlah: Council backs contentious upgrade plan
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