Club Rebuild Community Consultation May 2020

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Dear Bronte Surf Club members,

On Tuesday night Waverley Council voted on the future of Bronte Surf Life Saving Club’s facilities. Together we will now progress with the second round of community consultation to receive feedback on the preferred design selected by Council and the Club’s Board of Management. You can see the design and the report to Council here.

The Council report includes an updated estimate of costs and shows that the committed funds will not cover the full rebuild. The Board of Management is confident that between the Club and Council the necessary funds can be raised. We will also have a better understanding of costs when detailed technical assessments are completed for the DA.

Please check out the design and get involved in the consultation through Council’s Have Your Say page

The consultation period is for 28 days and it is hoped, after receiving feedback we will look to lodge a DA in August. We have been consulting with many groups within the Club and will continue to do so over this period and as we head towards the lodging of a DA.

All you need is five minutes to fill in the survey to let us know what is most important to you. Input from those who understand and value the Club will help us ensure that the needs of Surf Life Saving remain the key priority as the design is progressed to Development Application stage.

Together with Council, the design team has navigated a process involving many constraints – not just the complex lifesaving requirements of the building but everything from accessibility requirements for the promenade to the heritage-listed sewage pump house.

The design needs to balance the priority for integrated lifeguard and lifesaving facilities at a challenging beach, with community interaction and incorporating important environmental factors. Most importantly, we know the needs of the club have changed dramatically over the life of the building – female patrollers and the “rubber duck” were not significant features of surf lifesaving when the current building was constructed. The design must adapt to this change and be flexible enough to embrace future change.

Early consultation identified that the natural environment was the highest priority for the community and the design team has worked to ensure that the building will integrate with the park environment, managing storm protection, soil conditions and maintaining the amount and quality of green space surrounding the buildings.

As a venue, the club is a hub for community activity like nippers and other Surf Life Saving activities and also sharing the space with schools, sporting clubs and charities. The early consultation was important to seek out the broad range of views from the community and we now look forward to receiving feedback on the concept design.

Kind regards

Basil Scaffidi
President
Bronte Surf Life Saving Club