Project Update
Located in the heart of Manly, this iconic 84-year building is a centerpiece of the area with views of Manly Wharf. It has multiple and varying sized spaces suitable for a range of community purposes including workshops, meetings, performances and health and leisure activities.
Council is working towards consolidating our staff accommodation, so there is a unique opportunity to reimagine and revitalise the Town Hall and consider what it could be used for in the longer term.
In early 2021 we started the discussion to hear your ideas about what this could be, keeping in mind that the building is heritage listed. We received close to 300 ideas on how the building could be used and benefit our community.
In July 2022 we asked for expressions of interest from Northern Beaches residents to participate in a Project Working Group (PWG) that will provide a representative-based view for considering and investigating potential future uses of the Manly Town Hall.
A PWG was appointed in August 2022 following an expression of interest (EOI) process in July 2022. The PWG comprised a broad range of stakeholders representing diverse stakeholder perspectives. The group were engaged across four meetings between September and December to consider the potential future uses of the Manly Town Hall.
In the earlier consultation round, the community provided many great suggestions for us and the Project Working Group to consider.
These options will then be considered by Council prior to further community consultation expected mid-2024.
About the Project Working Group
The Project Working Group had an initial meeting in September 2022, followed by a further three meetings in October, November, and December. The Youth Advisory Group were also consulted at a meeting in December 2022.
The PWG had the following membership:
Number of Reps. | Representative group | Successful Nominee |
1 | Manly Business Chamber | Kyla Kelleher |
2 | Registered / Known Associations operating in the Northern Beaches (1 per association) | Manly Community Forum – Evelyn Shervington Manly for Families – Peter Barr |
1 | Tourism industry Local Business owner/operator | Cameron Stewart |
1 | Theatre and Performing Arts background | Martin McCallum |
1 | Gallery and Museum background | Penny Philpott |
1 | Environmental and/or heritage background | Nina Burridge |
1 | Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander representative | Caroline Glass- Pattison |
2 | Local resident (gender balance where possible) | Anne Maria Nicholson Terry Gatward |