AusLeisure

Sydney's Northern Beaches Council has unveiled the refined concept for the Manly Life Saving Club to provide a new purpose-built facility to support the needs of the 3.5 million people who visit Manly Beach each year.

The new fit-for-purpose facility will also serve a new generation of lifesaving personnel while providing improved access and facilities for locals and visitors.

The new concepts address the issues with the building which is a product of its time - inadequate facilities for people living with disabilities, poor facilities for female volunteers and with amenities that can’t meet the demand.

The proposed new building will be fit-for-purpose and provides:

• wider access and improved public thoroughfare at the Marine Parade pinch point and additional undercover space by pulling the ground floor back in this area
• new public amenities including 5 additional toilet facilities (3 unisex, 1 family and 1 accessible in addition to existing facilities) and additional showers
• improved provision for Council professional lifeguards including direct line of sight to the beach and access to drone facilities
• watercraft and lifesaving equipment storage, enabling all watercraft to be removed from the promenade
• provision for volunteer lifesaver training facilities required to meet emergency services requirements
• retention of a multipurpose function room available for community hire
• improved facilities and access for people living with disability or limited mobility with the addition of a lift and wheelchair compliant structure
• equitable amenities and facilities for female volunteers
• improved options for Bold & Beautiful Swim Squad and other swimmers for bag storage
• retention of all heritage-listed Norfolk Pines
• sustainability measures including solar panels, a green roof and passive energy design
• retention of the kiosk/cafe

The concept plans have been informed by extensive investigation of the site and constraints, user analysis, three rounds of community consultation, a community working group and stakeholder liaison. Council will now finalise the design and prepare all the documents to submit for Development Application (DA) later this year.

Council has invested time and resources to explore the best approach to improving the building so it meets the needs of the diverse user groups. Early advice indicated that renovation would be more costly and less effective. The location and associated constraints of the beachfront and rear sewer easement mean there are limitations with what can be done with the site.

The result is an innovative design which replicates as much as possible the existing footprint, while shifting to the north on the ground floor outside of the sewer easement and only expanding by approximately 10%, while incorporating requests of the club, volunteers, swim clubs and community.

The design also allows a greater connection between the public and club operations, with foyer access open during the day, visibility into operational areas and club memorabilia and history on display while local and visitors grab a coffee from the kiosk.

The community will be able to provide further feedback during the DA exhibition period. The DA will be reviewed and determined by the independent Sydney North Local Planning Panel. Once approved, the DA will improve opportunities to secure additional grant funding to complete the project.

You can view the concept designs on Your Say

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