Hot on the heels of finishing its multi-million dollar revamp of the final link in the Blue Mile, Wollongong City Council has unveiled new $9 million plans for North Wollongong beach.
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A $6 million sea wall, two sets of tiered seating leading down to the beach and an extensive refurbishment of the surf club make up the project, which is not due to start until 2020.
Plans to demolish, repair or replace the more than 80-year-old surf club have been in the works for years, with the council declaring in 2014 that it was “nearing the end of its useful life”.
Read more: Final piece of Blue Mile completed
Initially, the plan was to construct a new club to the north of the existing building, but the council was unable to gain approval from Sydney Water to build over a sewer line.
Additionally, as the building is “good representative example of ... the Inter War Functionalist style” and is a local heritage item, refurbishment is now considered the better path.
The $2.9 million upgrade will include structural repairs, a new lift, windows and doors, and external painting to match the other heritage buildings in the area.
The sea wall is needed, the council says, protect the club – and the nearby Bathers Pavilion and kiosk – from the effects of climate change.
“Australia's highly variable climate, coupled with the projected impact of climate change – including increases in sea level and storm intensity – will inevitably result in increased hazards to coastal communities,” the council says.
The existing retaining wall was “never designed to be a protective seawall” and – with increasingly strong storms expected – would not “protect the valuable public buildings, walkways, road ways and other assets into the future”.
While the council has considered buying back or relocating some of the city’s climate change affected proprieties, or raising buildings and building amenities to better withstand sea impacts, it says the sea wall has been identified as the best option for North Beach as it will provide protection for a number of assets.
The wall will include two bays of stepped seating, and several sets of stairs, a boat ramp for the surf club and an access ramp for beach wheelchairs.
The North Beach project was brought forward in this year’s council budget after 39 people lobbied for the club upgrade.
It is now due to be started in winter 2020, and completed in winter 2023.
A kiosk will be held on site on August 11 from 10.30am to 12.30pm where residents can see the plans and discuss the project with council staff.
Feedback can also be given, until 5pm August 26, by completing the feedback form on the council’s website.
Kate McIlwain
For more than a decade, I've helped the Illawarra Mercury set the news agenda across the region. Currently I'm the paper's health reporter - covering the stories of Illawarra workers and residents in the wake of a global pandemic and at a time where our health systems are stretched to the limit.
For more than a decade, I've helped the Illawarra Mercury set the news agenda across the region. Currently I'm the paper's health reporter - covering the stories of Illawarra workers and residents in the wake of a global pandemic and at a time where our health systems are stretched to the limit.
