Project background

• How is the project being funded?

• Construction is jointly funded by Northern Beaches Council and the NSW Government grant under the Multi-Sport Community Facility Fund Program 2022/23. The construction of the new golf clubhouse will be separately funded by the Warringah Golf Club.

• Why is a new recreation centre being built?

• Council resolved in February 2020 to agree with the Warringah Golf Club proposal to build a new clubhouse on the Warringah Recreation site and has committed to serve the changing needs of the community.

  The current facilities are now at the end of their useful life and maintenance costs are increasing.

  Given the relocation of the Warringah Golf Club, it was recognised as a unique opportunity to upgrade the existing facilities to complement the new golf clubhouse.

  Council will deliver the community facilities portion that includes tennis and squash courts, carparking and associated landscaping.

• Where can I play golf, squash, tennis, futsal, Brazilian soccer now?

• We are committed to creating a best practice sporting facility for our Northern Beaches community to enjoy that caters for a diverse range of abilities. The new building design and facilities will be fully compliant for accessibility.

  We are building new competition grade tennis courts. We will also build our squash courts to international standards. These sporting groups won’t be able to play at the recreation centre as we refresh and modernise the existing sporting facilities.

  We are working closely with Voyager Tennis Academy and key stakeholders to minimise the downtime to squash, tennis and futsal players. However, the Northern Beaches does have several other venues where you can play tennis, squash and futsal. These include:

  • Collaroy Tennis Club, located at Griffth Park, Anzac Avenue, Collaroy
  • Elanora Squash & Fitness Centre, located at 50 Kalang Road, Elanora Heights
  • Manly Vale Calabria Bowling Sports & Social Club, Lot 1 Campbell Parade, Manly Vale

  We can't wait to welcome you back to play in our new and improved recreation centre once complete!

  As part of the redevelopment, there will be some minor impacts to users of the golf course. We will work closely with Warringah Golf Club and its members to minimise these impacts.

Masterplan details

• Why is there a three and five squash court option?

• The current budget allows for three squash courts. However, five squash courts could be accommodated subject to additional funding becoming available.

• Will any trees be removed to allow for the new development?

• We understand that trees play a vital role in the health, social framework and economic sustainability of an area.

  The Masterplan will incorporate replanting of trees endemic to the area, as the strand of trees to the rear of the site will be removed as part of the redevelopment. Trees will also be replaced as part of Warringah Golf Club's DA.

  The replanting of trees will complement the local habitat of the adjacent Brookvale Creek and fill existing gaps in the tree canopy to provide continuity for local habit corridors.

• What is a swale?

• A swale is wide and shallow channel dug into the ground that water flows through. Carefully positioned rocks with suitable native plants will feature within the channel. The plants growing in the channel slow the water down, encourage sediments to settle and capture organic matter before flowing into river systems. Litter pollution will be captured before entering the channel through the use of a custom built trash rack.

  To accommodate the new Warringah Golf Clubhouse, an existing stormwater drainage channel will be diverted and replaced with best practice stormwater water quality measures. These include a purpose built swale made up of native plantings and a gross pollutant device to reduce the pollution of downstream receiving waters before entering Brookvale Creek. This provides environmental benefits and habitat for aquatic plants and animals.

• What will be the recreation centre operating hours?

• Proposed hours of operation for the new recreation centre will be:
  

  • 7am to 10pm, Monday to Saturday
  • 8am to 7pm, Sunday

  We look forward to providing our community more information on this closer to the project completion.

• Why hasn't pickleball, netball and basketball been considered in the design?

• We've worked closely with Tennis NSW, Squash NSW and Warringah Golf Club on creating refreshed and modern sporting facilities for the existing user groups at this site.

  We have recently upgraded facilities allowing basketball, netball and pickleball to be played at other sites, including Forestville War Memorial Playing Fields and Lionel Watts Reserve, Frenchs Forest, as part of our 2022 Recreation Strategy.

  You can find a full list of our sports and recreation facilities here.
  

• Can buses enter the precinct?

• Charter buses will be unable to enter the eastern car park, however, plans will be put in place to accommodate bus drop off zones either along Kentwell Road or within the western car park.

Project delivery

• When will construction start?

• Works commenced in late 2024, after we reviewed your feedback on the Masterplan.

• What is the approval pathway for the proposed works?

• Under the State Environmental Planning Policy (Transport & Infrastructure) 2021, the tennis courts, landscaping and pedestrian bridge are permitted without development
  consent.

  The proposed squash building will require development consent and a DA application will be lodged accordingly.
  

• How long will it take to build?

• We anticipate that the golf clubhouse and eastern car park will take 12 months to complete.

  The tennis courts, squash court building and landscaping will take a further 12 months to complete.

Future works

• Is more parking planned for the future?

• To ensure we best meet our communities parking needs, further parking will be built on the western side of Brookvale Creek as part of future works.

• When will the western carpark, pedestrian bridge and pedestrian crossing be built?

• Council will build the western carpark, pedestrian bridge and pedestrian crossing in the future.

  Because of the limited budget available, these improvements are subject to securing funding.

  The pedestrian crossing will be constructed subject to future funding and approval of the Local Traffic Committee.