Narrabeen ambo station to be bulldozed and replaced by state of the art facility

Health authorities have abandoned plans for a new ambulance station at Dee Why and have revealed the plan for the Narrabeen site, which has been plagued by black mould.

The rundown Narrabeen ambulance station is to be bulldozed and replaced with a new state-of-the art facility, it can be revealed.

After more than 12 months of searching for a site to build a state-of-the-art ambulance station, NSW Health Minister Ryan Park confirmed the government had decided to raze the 64-year-old current building and rebuild.

The confirmation came after a 15-month hunt for suitable land in the Dee Why area.

The announcement comes just a months after paramedics staged a walkout of the Narrabeen station last month after complaining about a mould infestation, broken windows and peeling paint.

The Health Services Union told this masthead that its members had described the facility on Pittwater Rd as “not fit for purpose”.

Those rostered to begin their shifts at Narrabeen have been opting to instead start out of the ambulance station at Mona Vale.

“HSU members on the northern beaches have determined that the Narrabeen Ambulance Station is not fit for purpose,” according to a union spokesman said at the time.

In September 2023, the state government announced it would build a new station at Dee Why and that all paramedics and ambulances at Narrabeen would transfer to it.

At the time, Health Minister Ryan Park told NSW parliament that the “Narrabeen Ambulance Station building is aged”.

“It does not meet current standards for an ambulance station,” he said.

In a statement released on Monday, NSW Ambulance said the existing Narrabeen site was the “most suitable location to optimise response performance and meet the future emergency health needs of the community”.

“Health Infrastructure and NSW Ambulance carried out a thorough evaluation of the site to ensure it continues to best meet the needs of our emergency ambulance operations and paramedic staff.”

Locations for new stations were determined by NSW Ambulance after using modelling software that mapped triple-0 calls. There are already ambulance stations at Avalon, Balgowlah, Belrose and Mona Vale.

It is expected that paramedics from Narrabeen will be temporarily relocated to Mona Vale during the construction of the new station.

“The new Narrabeen Ambulance Station will support local paramedics to provide the best emergency and mobile medical care to the local community well into the future,” Mr Park said.

“This is a great outcome for the surrounding communities on the northern beaches with the existing site to be completely redeveloped to provide a modern and purpose-built facility to support our hardworking paramedics as they deliver high-quality emergency and mobile medical care.”

Originally published as Narrabeen ambo station to be bulldozed and replaced by state of the art facility