This Sydney council wanted to rebuild a surf club. Its own planners had other ideas

3 months ago 19

A multimillion-dollar plan to rebuild one of Sydney’s best-known surf clubs is in trouble after internal council assessments found the development would encroach on public land, include unnecessary facilities, and cannot be supported in its current form.

Northern Beaches Council planning staff have raised red flags over the council’s own plans to bulldoze the double-storey Manly Life Saving Club to make way for a three-storey complex with lifeguard facilities, toilets, a kiosk, change rooms, members-only gym, training rooms, upper-level bar and multipurpose hall.

Manly residents John Lehmann, Sheridan Nossiter, Michael Nossiter, Guy Evatt and Michael Hayja, pictured overlooking Manly Life Saving Club, have concerns over the council’s proposal.

The $19.9 million redevelopment has been in the works since 2019 after assessments found the ageing 43-year-old clubhouse was no longer fit for purpose.

After spending $700,000 developing the plans, the council is under pressure to head back to the drawing board after reviews of the project by two council departments found the development would “encroach upon valuable and limited public open space”, privatise sections of public land, and diminish recreational opportunities for the broader community.

The assessments were also scathing over a list of “member only” facilities included in the development, described as “over and above” the operational needs of a surf life-saving club.

The reviews – carried out by the council’s landscape, and parks, reserves and foreshores departments – both concluded the development, which is 10 per cent larger than the existing club, “cannot be supported” in its current form.

“There are other components of the building’s spatial layout that result in the encroachment of public open space ... without clear explanation to justify the expansion of the building at the expense of public open space,” one of the reports concluded.

In a statement, a council spokeswoman did not respond to questions about whether the council would consider redesigning the project to incorporate the feedback. The spokeswoman noted the plans had been subjected to detailed consultation and that “input from the council’s internal teams would be considered as part of the assessment process”.

The internal council reviews, however, are expected to add fuel to community debate about the project.

In the eight weeks since the plans were released, the council has received 899 written submissions from members of the public, of which 58 per cent have been in favour and 42 per cent opposed.

The redevelopment has become a hot button issue in Manly

Supporters include Manly Life Saving Club president Tim Cuthbert, who said a “larger facility will provide the vital space needed for essential education and training programs” for the 1800-strong member club, helping protect a stretch of beach visited by 4 million people each year.

Rhani-Lee Payne, a chief instructor and director of education at the club, said the facilities were in desperate need of upgrading.

“There are courses I can’t run because we simply have nowhere to put people [and] we no longer have the physical space required to deliver the lifesaving training that our members, the public, and our coastline depend upon,” she said.

Objectors include residents of apartment buildings, located as close as 20 metres from the club, who are facing the prospect of losing their ocean views.

A concept images of the redeveloped club building.

A view analysis report commissioned by the council found lower-level residents of apartment buildings to the south would be most affected by the development, with view loss classified as “moderate to severe”.

Rachel Rutherford, whose unit overlooks the club, said the size of the proposed building risked dominating the surrounding landscape.

“It’s a brutalist concrete monolith that’s completely incongruous with the beachfront and will impinge upon areas where people currently congregate,” she said.

“Residents are not against surf lifesaving but what’s proposed is over the top for what a surf lifesaving club needs to be and is weighted heavily in favour of fee-paying club members who’ll benefit from hot showers and function areas that won’t be available to the rest of the community.

A concept image of the surf club redevelopment.

“It’s more akin to a golf club than a surf lifesaving club and, in my view, it’s not how ratepayer funds should be spent.”

Other coastal Sydney councils planning major overhauls of ageing surf clubs include Randwick Council, which has a $15 million plan to rebuild the Maroubra Surf Life Saving Club, and Waverley Council, which has a “target price” of $28.7 million to complete the Bronte Surf Club redevelopment.

Sutherland Shire Council needs to find up to $45 million to complete the North Cronulla Surf Life Saving Club redevelopment after the original contracted builder walked out of the project mid-construction last year.

The council is planning to spend $19.9m rebuilding the club.

Planning documents for the Manly Life Saving Club redevelopment stated the project had been designed to “appropriately respond to the location and context”, and would deliver “long-term cost savings” to the council through reduced maintenance and improved functionality.

The club’s latest annual report shows 14,802 patrol hours were conducted during the 2024-25 financial year, along with 28 rescues and 2203 preventive actions.

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