After more than five years of lobbying to restore the North Beach Bathers' Pavilion and save it from overdevelopment, North Wollongong's Genelle Thomson had plenty to be happy about yesterday.The five-member Joint Regional Planning Panel took less than 20 minutes to approve the $5.9thmillion plan, after earlier touring the state heritage listed site."I am delighted of course because the plan is more or less what we always wanted to have for the building,'' Ms Thomson said. "After five or six years of lobbying, it is a good outcome."It makes me really pleased that public involvement has worked out in this case."In 2005, Ms Thomson proposed to donate $20,000 to hold a design competition to restore the 1938 building as community opposition to a proposed redevelopment by Frank Vellar gathered strength.The competition proved unnecessary when neither the NSW Heritage Council or Wollongong City Council supported the plans.Then in 2008, Mr Vellar's lease on the bathers' pavilion was cancelled after the site was named in the Independent Commission Against Corruption hearings into the council.The latest plan includes change rooms and toilets on the northern side of the building, lifeguard facilities in the centre and a cafe and kiosk in the southern wing.The kiosk will operate from 7am to 11am and noon to 3pm, and the cafe - with capacity for 153 diners - will be permitted to operate until 11pm. Eleven new car spaces and two motorcycle spaces will be constructed in the North Beach car park. The old amenities building will be demolished and the pedestrian promenade widened to 6.4m."The National Trust is happy to see it being reused and a light-weight structure that is simple and within the scope of the whole building,'' National Trust Illawarra-Shoalhaven branch chairwoman Meredith Hutton said."The envelope of the building is protecting the tramway cutting and I am really pleased the public facilities will be maintained."North Wollongong resident Ron Knowles was the only person to address the panel yesterday. Joint Regional Planning Panel member Alison McCabe said although there was a commercial aspect to the development, "it is about providing facilities to the community".Chairwoman Pam Allan thanked council staff and consultants for their work on the plans.