The new Northern Beaches Council is up and running, with independent councillors in the driving seat.

Of the 15 councillors elected, six are from Michael Regan’s Your Northern Beaches independent team. There are five Liberals - one from each of the five wards - and one Greens councillor. The rest are independents, including Good For Manly President Candy Bingham. 

The first meeting elected Cr Regan as Mayor and Cr Bingham as Deputy, strengthening the council’s independent credentials. ​

“I’m thrilled to be elected deputy,” Cr Bingham said.  “What an honour! It will be a lot of work, but I believe this council will really be able to make a difference for the whole Northern Beaches area. And Manly will  have a strong voice at the table.”

She said the impressive showing by independents in “Liberal heartland” showed that voters did not want major political parties in local government, preferring representatives whose allegiance to the community was not complicated by their political affiliation. 

“But despite having different political backgrounds I’m very hopeful that this council will  work well together,”  Cr Bingham said.  

“The Manly Ward Councillors - myself,  Sarah Grattan from Your Northern  Beaches, and Liberal councillor Pat Daley - are already working as a team to have a look at the off-leash “dog park” situation for  dog owners and other residents, and to improve the look of The Corso.

"And as a council our priorities include dealing with our parking problems, and improving the state of public amenities, such as toilets."

Want to know who the new Councillors are and what Ward they represent?
Go to the link here.

It overturned a decision by interim council administrator Dick Persson to ban off-leash dogs from the park during the weekend. 

His decision, which went against council officers’ recommendation, was prompted by complaints by residents of barking and uncontrolled behaviour by dogs. 

But Deputy Mayor Candy Bingham said the decision has provoked outrage in the community. 

“There is a critical shortage of areas for people to exercise their dogs off-leash. It’s been made worse by the changes to LM Graham reserve as a result of the expansion of the Manly swim centre,” Cr Bingham said. 

“In this case the administrator made the wrong decision.”

Instead the council voted to adopt the original recommendation, that dogs must be on a lead at night and early morning during weekends and public holidays, but could run free at all other times. 

Cr Bingham said the decision was the best compromise between the needs of nearby residents and dog owners. 

“The challenge is there are a couple of residents who say they are being severely affected by the dogs,” she said.

“The good news is the community group Manly Dogs have taken that on board and they will personally run a roster of their members who will be on site. They are  serious about it - they have a lot to lose if the arrangement doesn’t work out.”

She said group members would ask dog owners not to let their animals roam in a pack and to identify “trouble dogs” which would be banned from the area.

She said the council would also undertake a larger review of the Northern Beaches area to identify more potential off-leash areas. 
​

The plans, which were leaked from the RMS and published in the ABC and Sydney Morning Herald earlier this year, show two access points for the Northern Beaches -  one near Serpentine Parade and Burnt Bridge Deviation, Balgowlah and the other on Wakehurst Parkway, near Kirkwood St, North Seaforth. 

The Seaforth/North Balgowlah Beaches Link Community Group says both locations are problematic.  

Group spokesperson Marco Corrent says the group wasn’t trying to stop the Beaches Link project, but simply to get community input into the design process. 

“We just need some open thinking from the government," he said.  "And the integration of some of our ideas into their designs, because that is what the community wants."

“We’ve put together a document, with advice from a commercial architect, civil engineers with state infrastructure experience, ventilation engineers and other experts.  It points out the problems with the existing plan and suggests cost-neutral alternatives.”

The document, which has been sent to the RMS and to State Roads Minister Melinda Pavey, identifies the Balgowlah ventilation stack as particularly worrying. 

Not only is this stack less than 150m from Seaforth Primary School, but it’s located in a topographical low point that is notorious among locals for trapping smoke and other emissions. 

This occurs as the prevailing easterlies from the ocean stop smoke or fumes from dissipating out to sea, but are not strong enough to blow them over Seaforth Ridge, immediately to the west.  Emissions from an exhaust stack would therefore build up over Balgowlah, gradually spreading out over the "valley" that extends from Manly to Brookvale and North Curl Curl - a densely populated area with at least 12 schools and many kindergartens and day care centres.

While the Balgowlah location is too low, the group believes the Seaforth location is too high for an access point so close to the deep tunnel section under Middle Harbour.

Their assessment reveals that the grade from the tunnel low point to the proposed exit at Seaforth is 4.5%, which exceeds the RMS own guidelines and is likely to cause excessive pollution as vehicles drop into low gear to tackle the climb. 

As well both locations are close to existing houses and near precious bushland. 

But solutions are possible. 

One idea is to shorten the Balgowlah tunnel spur - the section between the main tunnel and the Balgowlah exit -  to 500m, a length at which it would not need its own exhaust stack. All the exhaust emissions would then be safely vented at the Seaforth Exhaust Stack, located on a high, windy ridge.

And the Seaforth access portal should be moved 600m further north along the Wakehurst Parkway resulting in a longer distance for the climb from the tunnel low point and therefore a gentler, safer grade. 

The document says these relocations would also mean fewer homes would be affected in both locations, meaning the government would save money on house acquisitions and on expensive noise mitigation work, as well as causing less disruption to the community. 

Mr Corrent said the group has been told the project is only in the concept stage and that their ideas will be considered for the final design, which will be made public next year. 

"I'm hopeful they will take our ideas on board," he said. "This is what the community wants.  People are being polite now - but they won't put up with having an exhaust stack right next to a primary school.
​
"We have a lot of support, including from Manly Ward councillors (Deputy Mayor) Candy Bingham and Sarah Grattan, and from (Northern Beaches Council Mayor) Michael Regan."

​The Beaches Link assessment document is available here:

The first election for the new Northern Beaches Council saw 81 candidates contesting 15 councillor positions, over five wards. Good For Manly gained the most votes in the new Manly Ward, with Candy Bingham declared elected on polling night, together with Liberal candidate Pat Daley.  Overall it is expected there will be 9 Independents, 1 Green and 5 Liberal Councillors on the new Council.

The third spot for Councillor in Manly will be decided by preferences, with Your Northern Beaches candidate Sarah Grattan expected to win after a close contest with Kyeema Doyle, Good For Manly's No.2. 

With the support of hundreds of volunteers, Good for Manly ran a first-rate, community-based campaign resulting in a doubling of votes from the previous council election in 2012, and a swing against the Liberals of 18%.
See the analysis below.

Our first priorities will be to re-instate the off-leash dog area at Manly Lagoon, call for an audit of parking in Manly with the view to putting locals first, and ensuring that the Manly Town Hall building remains in public hands as a community centre.

A HUGE thank you to all of our volunteers who letterbox dropped 22,000 flyers, handed out how-to-votes at pre-polling, made donations to our campaign, and worked tirelessly on polling day.

The first council meeting is scheduled for Tuesday 26th September, 2017, 6.30pm at Dee Why Council Chambers when the Mayor and Deputy Mayor will be elected by the Councillors.

The artwork, created 20 years ago by sculptor Helen Leete, was destroyed beyond repair in a huge storm last year.

But the Northern Beaches community was not prepared to let the iconic creation die, and the Save Our Sea Nymphs committee was formed. ​

​In a shock move, the Council Administrator decreed at his last Council meeting, that Manly Lagoon would be on-leash on weekends & holidays. This has caused a major back-lash by dog owners because the area had been off-lease for more than sixty years. 

The clever new logo will be rolled out over the next fews months, marking the true beginning of the new Council, with the election of Councillors set for Saturday 9th September.

The timing of the Premier's announcement has proven unsettling for many however, who are now questioning why Manly Council didn't stand-alone and take legal action against the forced merger, as Mosman did.
 
It is important to remember that at the time of the proposed merger process there was huge community support for one Northern Beaches Council, driven mostly by the concerns of how dysfunctional Manly Council had become under the leadership of Liberal Mayor, Jean Hay.  

I attended the public hearings where most people spoke in support of the merger. We were told by the authorities that more than 18,000 submissions had been received from the Northern Beaches, the majority in support of a merger. (It was interesting to note that of a total of 36,000 submissions received for the whole of NSW, half came from the Northern Beaches.)

Personally I believe that the new Northern Beaches Council will serve Manly ratepayers well.  I am impressed by the level of professionalism of the new staff and the can-do culture.  Good for Manly  has already been very successful in getting things done for Manly and  we can already see the major advantages of having just one big council.
 
It is a concern however that as our level of 'local' government, Manly will now have only three out of 15 councillors representing our area.  Therefore we need to focus on ways and means of making the bigger council work to our advantage,  and I would welcome a productive discussion on how this can be achieve.  Any suggestions?

Although the development deed for the construction of the Manly Oval Car Park was cancelled promptly by the new administrator of the Northern Beaches Council, the matter of the outcome of the Whistler Street site has hung in the balance for many months while the Council undertook to negotiate with the successful tenderers, Built Athas.
 
It has recently been confirmed that the negotiations have stopped, and the Council has cancelled the development deed for the project, which was inexplicitly linked to the flawed Manly Oval Car Park Plan.
 
While it may be reasonable for Built Athas to claim their expenses in relation to the terminated contract (which was hastily pushed through by the Liberal bloc on the Manly Council prior to amalgamation), the organisation was also claiming for loss of profits, believed to be a figure of around $45m, which was considered unreasonable.
 
Built Athas cancelled the negotiation process, and no further action will be taken by Council at this stage.
 
This effectively terminates the debacle that was known as the Manly2015 Plan and a five year battle by Good For Manly to stop the highly-flawed projects.

In the meantime Save Manly Oval Alliance is preparing a submission to have Ivanhoe Park, including Manly Oval, listed on the State Heritage Register with the view to protect this area from any future development.

There have been many positive outcomes from the amalgamation of the old Manly Council into the new Northern Beaches Council but one aspect that locals have become concerned about is the protection of their parking rights.

While the introduction of the Northern Beaches parking sticker was seen as a way to unite the peninsula, and enables Manly residents to park for free at local beaches further up the coast, it has had the adverse effect of making parking at our local beach even more difficult, if not impossible.

Recently the new administration at the council moved to cancel the Manly Resident Card, an initiative introduced by Good for Manly to allow local residents to park for 3 hours free in the four council car parks in Manly’s CBD.
 
This was followed by the change, without notice, of the evening flat rate parking fee starting time from 7pm to 6pm. This sent locals into a spin.  No longer could they pop into Coles on the way home for dinner supplies or to pick up takeaway nearby without being hit with an $11 parking fee.  Community groups and local gyms were also adversely affected with customers now having to pay a $11 parking fee to attend a 6.30am class!
 
Candy Bingham and Good For Manly were quick to act, contacting the council, notifying the Manly Chamber of Commerce and preparing detailed submissions to council staff.
 
Good News!
To their credit the new Council responded quickly.  They put on hold the cancellation of the Manly Resident Card, which is to undergo further review.
 
The Evening Flat Parking Fee was changed back to 7pm within weeks.
 
However these changes demonstrated an important point.  Parking is one of the biggest issues in Manly.  It is scarce.  Manly CBD is our local shopping centre and the local businesses need our support to survive.
 
The council’s current approach of ‘harmonising’ everything across the Northern Beaches needs to be challenged.  One size fits all does not necessarily fit all  when you have areas with special needs (and millions of tourists!)
 
Good for Manly is currently working on a parking plan for Manly locals.  We will welcome your feedback once it is completed.

​The proposed location of ventilation stacks for the Beach Link Tunnel have been released, alarming residents in Nth Balgowlah, Balgowlah and Seaforth.

While many accept that the tunnel is inevitable, the proposed location of stacks near schools and residences is totally unacceptable.

According to recent reports in the Sydney Morning Herald, there will be a tunnel entrance in Serpentine Crescent and ventilation stacks in either North Balgowlah (corner of Bangaroo Street and Serpentine Crescent ) or Balgowlah (Dudley Street).
 
It is not entirely clear from the diagrams whether the ventilation building will be near the corner of Bangaroo and
Serpentine, with the stack further away in Serpentine, or whether the two will be together.
 
If in Dudley Street, it is not clear where in the street this would be located. In all cases, the proposed stack is right beside houses, especially if a stack is located within North Balgowlah itself.
 
On the north western side, there is a tunnel entrance and a ventilation stack proposed for Judith Street in Seaforth. This also is right beside houses.  The location will be coping with extra traffic due to the doubling in size of the Wakehurst Parkway.
 
While the RMS continues to hold public meetings, the information provided to date has been sketchy leaving residents feeling they are being kept in the dark.
 
Education Minister Rob Stokes was recently quoted as saying that “there was no way in hell” he would allow stacks near schools, and yet he allowed ventilation towers to be constructed near schools in the city’s inner west as part of WestConnex during his time as planning minister.
 
Clearly the plans are well underway for the $14billion underground toll road linking the Northern Beaches to the inner west as shown by the leaked documents to the Herald and ABC.
 
While it may be too early to confirm any design details about the project until geotechnical work is completed and an alignment developed, we must remain vigilant to ensure that any adverse impacts are managed to protect the health of our community.

Have you attended a public meeting?  What do you think?

Initial work includes:

1. The building of a boardwalk along the beachfront between No 34 and 40 Stuart Street, connecting the two public spaces known as Little Manly Reserve (from the boat ramp in Craig Street to the parkland).  Work will commence in the 2017/2018 financial year.
   
   
2. The development of a Masterplan for the entire Little Manly Reserve area to ensure maximum accessibility and the future use of this public asset, including consideration of the incorporation of a public café into 40 Stuart Street, and community use for 34 Stuart Street, such as the creation of an indigenous culture and education centre.

 
(Council owns three of the four properties on the foreshore being Nos 34, 36 and 40.  No 38 is a recently-built private residence.)
 
The Administrator also expressed the view that the existing kiosk and toilet block should be demolished, providing more open space in that part of the reserve.  The proposed café/restaurant at No 40 Stuart St. would be accessible from the park.

The Process
Council staff will prepare a draft Masterplan, for discussion with key stakeholders and the public.  The final plan will then be put on public exhibition for further comment and submissions.
 
Some Background:
This announcement follows years of work by the Save Little Manly Foreshore Group who fought long and hard to retain a number of council-owned properties on the foreshore of Little Manly.  Their focus was to realise a 40 year vision to return the harbour foreshore back to open space.
 
The most recent acquisition, the purchase of No 40 Stuart Street, which runs beside the existing reserve, was purchased by Manly Council in 2012 for $4.2m.
 
However, then Mayor Jean Hay was totally against the purchase and continued to fight the matter during her term as Mayor in 2012 – 2016 including a proposal to sell-off the other council-owned properties in the area (Nos 34 – 36) to cover the costs of No 40, despite the fact that council owned 3 out of the 4 of the sites making up the foreshore!
 
The Save Little Manly Foreshore Group, backed in particular by Cr Barbara Aird and Cr Hugh Burns, as well as Cr Candy Bingham and Cr Cathy Griffin, took the Council to court to stop the sale and won. An expensive court case, backed by the Liberal bloc on Council, cost the Council an estimated $200,000.
 
You can read more on the history to save this site here.
 
What do you think of the proposed draft ideas for the area?

There will also be a big impact on residents in North Balgowlah close to where the Tunnel meets up with Burnt Creek Deviation.  In addition, the entrance to the Tunnel for cars travelling from the North along Condamine Street will most probably be in the stretch of bush between the Burnt Creek Deviation and Balgowlah Road.
 
Let’s talk about the potential direct and indirect impact of the Beaches Link Tunnel on the residents of Manly  -  and how do we plan for them:  This part of my contribution is purely speculative and it is designed to stimulate discussion among the residents.
 
Firstly, we need to realise and accept that the rationale for the Beaches Link Tunnel is not for the benefit of the residents of Manly, but to relieve the serious congestion in the mornings in the corridor from Dee Why  -  over the Spit Bridge  -  through Mosman -  and onto the Warringah Freeway.  Vehicles from Manly residents contribute less than 20% of all vehicles that cross the Spit Bridge in the morning peak.
 
You also need to understand that if the State Government spends billions of dollars on infrastructure for an area like the Northern Beaches it expects (actually demands) that the Northern Beaches “allows” many more people to live in the area.  A rough rule-of-thumb I believe is that for every $1 billion of infrastructure, the government expects 50,000  more people to come and live in the area benefiting from the infrastructure spend.
 
The primary direct impact will be that as it is easier for people to drive to Manly there will be an increase in visitors by car  -  especially over weekends in the summer. The consequence of this will be pressure to build more car parking capacity in Manly.  The grave of the Oval Car Park will be broken into !!
 
To this will be added the loss of areas of bushland that many of us currently access for recreation and as the population density grows probably in other areas as well.
 
I believe that the major indirect impacts will flow from the increase in property prices in Manly.  The model of developers in such a scenario is to “land bank”  -  which is that they buy up houses with the view to consolidating their holdings into a size that allows them to eventually build townhouse/apartment complexes.  This is what happened in Roseville, Lindfield and Lane Cove  -  residents who have recently driven along Boundary Road in Roseville will know what I mean.  Under the existing NSW Planning Laws and the Manly (and future Northern Beaches) LEP this strategy is not illegal  -  and I am of the view that the State Government encourages this as it is a form of “densification” that allows Councils to meet the residence density targets set by the State Government.
 
The ability of residents to influence what happens in our community is very limited – and essentially restricted to the protection afforded by the LEP and the DCPs.  Unfortunately, we know from bitter experience that developers (and their lobbyists) will work very hard to “loosen” the Planning Laws, the LEP and the DCPs and ensure that they are only used as “guidelines” or are loosely interpreted by Council staff.  It is very important that Manly residents ensure that:

• We become involved in the development of the Northern Beaches LEP and DCPs  -  and strongly fight the attempts by the developers to have them “watered down or loosened”.
• ​We do not elect developer-friendly Councillors at the Council Elections in September.
• We maintain vibrant Resident Groups to keep residents informed and to have an effective voice in the Council.

 
But, what about the impact of the new Northern Beaches Hospital and the new developments in French’s Forest and Dee Why ?
 
My views on the relevance for Manly residents of these are:

• They provide justification for a light rail link from Chatswood/Lindfield to French’s Forest and Dee Why.
• This will increase the demand for commercial land and buildings in Brookvale and Manly Vale  -  and this will result in more commercial developments in these areas.
• This will increase the direct and indirect impacts on Manly residents that I identified earlier in this note"
                              Prepared by Terry le Roux for the July Newsletter of the North Harbour Resident's Group
  ​---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

More community drop-in sessions arranged by RMS as follows:
Stocklands Balgowlah:  Thursday 6 July, 3pm - 6pm
                                     Saturday 8 July 9am - 12pm

So what do you think?  Will the proposed tunnel have a major impact on Manly? What about the suburbs of Nth Balgowlah & Seaforth which are expected to be affected by the works?

Good for Manly has announced that it will contest the Northern Beaches Council election on 9th September, running three independent candidates headed by former Manly Councillor, Candy Bingham, in the newly formed Manly Ward.

Joining Candy will be Craig Smith, former CEO of Wilson Parking, and Kyeema Doyle, a Town Planner who operates her own business in Manly.
​
Candy successfully led the campaign to stop the financially irresponsible and deeply flawed Manly Oval car park project that was being pushed by the majority Liberal Party Councillors on Manly Council.
 
“It is critical that we keep party politicians off Council. The shocking behaviour of the majority Liberal councillors riding roughshod over due process has left the new Northern Beaches Council with a major financial and legal mess”, she stated.
 
“We need to reconnect with the community to find out people’s views on what they expect of their new Council. Good for Manly has carried out an extensive survey to ascertain this and I will be using the findings to guide us in our decision making”, Mrs Bingham said.

“The heritage Manly Council chambers, which are now surplus to requirements, should remain as a service centre for local residents.  There is also great potential to create a performing arts space.  On no account should the building be sold off, or leased for private use”, Mrs Bingham added.

With more than 30 years experience running major carparks nationally, Craig Smith, former CEO of Wilson Parking, believes he has the solutions to making parking in Manly more assessable for locals.
 
“Parking is a major issue in Manly. We will push for a full audit of all public parking in Manly including the oceanfront, council car parks and resident parking schemes to ensure that the needs of special local areas are not overlooked by the new big Council.” Mr Smith stated.
 
Kyeema Doyle is a former Olympic Rower and keen sportswoman. In addition to good planning principles, she will be focusing on the needs of sporting groups in the area,
 
Candy describes the Good For Manly team as ‘conservative environmentalists’.
“We are a water-based region and we have to ensure that we protect our fragile aquatic environment.  Millions of visitors place a lot of pressure on our infrastructure and our environment.  It is a no-brainer to ban single use plastic bags, followed by plastic straws, bottles and coffee cups.  We must do more to reduce waste and encourage recycling”.
 
They are also concerned about the loss of bushland stating that better planning solutions that protect our bushland need to be a priority.

As the election draws closer a full list of policies will be announced by the Good For Manly Team.

Find out more about the Candidates here:

​Candy Bingham                                    Craig Smith                                     Kyeema Doyle

​After 10 years of community pressure, NSW Health has announced that the Manly Hospital site will not be sold to developers  and will be retained in public hands, after it closes in November 2018 when the Northern Beaches Hospital is commissioned.  However, just what services will be offered is still unknown.

The site however will be surplus to NSW Health requirements.  This provides an opportunity for various buildings on the site to be made available to the Manly community for health care purposes.  

A team of dedicated community members are working to shape the proposed Manly Community-driven Health Care Facility (McHCF) to fill the current health care gaps in our area.  

This group has identified the buildings on the site which they believe would be suitable for reuse, and they are currently putting together proposals on how community-based health services could operate from this site.

Community member and resident Lubo Kulisec; a well recognised heritage architect and overseas health care administrator, has already done a great deal of work assessing the site working with fellow local, Darryl Dobe.  

"The first objective of this initiative is to seriously consider the re-use of 13 or more of the existing Manly Hospital buildings. So far external site assessments have been completed, and the internal assessment of all buildings has been undertaken. There are many candidate buildings which are suitable for re-use", explained Darryl Dobe.

Over the next 12 months, before the Manly Hospital closes, appropriate funding model(s) need to be devised for scrutiny by the NSW Health Infrastructure group, to ensure that they incur no long term debt associated with the on-going community site usages. The community team are looking at areas such as palliative care for youth, aged care services, mental health support and so on.

A website and Facebook page have been established for interested community members to enable them to remain abreast of the current situation, and the proposed re-use of current building infrastructure.  It is also possible to participate in an array of initiatives deemed necessary to pro-actively prepare for the Hospital's closure. 

Read about some of the innovative ideas under consideration and consider playing an active role.

Website Portal:  http://yourselfhelper.com/manly-community-health-care-facility/
 
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/mchcf
 ​

 

Former Manly Councillor and Good For Manly President, Candy Bingham, is campaigning against the move claiming it is unfair to Manly residents and that local businesses rely on locals, not just tourists, for their survival.
 
“Manly CBD is our local shopping centre but the council car parks only provide two hours free parking not 3 hours like its competitors at Stocklands, Warringah Mall and all other shopping centres on the peninsula”, Candy Bingham explained.

The introduction of an additional free hour parking for locals was a Good For Manly initiative which became the Manly Resident Card four years ago.
 
The purpose was to support our local businesses as it was found that two hours free parking was not adequate nor competitive.
 
For example we have a large number of hair, nail & beauty salons in Manly.  It can take 2.5 hours to get your hair done which means that locals need to pay for the third hour parking, which costs $12.50.  An expensive haircut!
 
“We have large communities of swimmers who like to stay for coffee and breakfast; volunteers at the Library and Community Centre; friends meeting for shopping and lunch, all of which require more than two hours”, Mrs Bingham said.
 
The Chamber of Commerce has come out in support of retaining the third hour free for locals saying their business is vital to the viability of most retailers in Manly.
 
The Northern Beaches Council argues that the Manly Resident Card is not equitable, and is costing the Council $100,000 a year in lost revenue.
 
However, this revenue estimate is challenged by parking expert and former CEO of Wilson Parking, Craig Smith, who says that research shows that locals resent paying for parking that they believe they are entitled to.  “They would rather leave than pay $12.50 for an extra hour, or simply not come to Manly at all”, he said.
 
“One way to make the Card more equitable and cost effective for the council would be to charge a nominal annual fee for the card, which can only be used once a day. Only one card is available per household.
 
“The technology required to accept the card at the four Manly Car Parks is already in place and operating effectively.  I hope the Council will review its decision and retain the Card albeit for an annual renewable fee”, Mrs Bingham said.
 
Around 1,600 people obtained a Manly Resident Card from the former Manly Council, which then charged a one-off fee of $40.00. These cards are still valid for another six months only.
A copy of Good For Manly's submission to Council to retain the card is below.
Do you use a Manly Resident Parking Card?  

Short term holiday letting has been around for years, but over the last few years the industry has gone to a new level. And sea-side suburbs like Manly are riding the crest of the wave.  

House-sharing websites, like Airbnb, benefit travellers by providing a huge number of new, affordable places to stay, and they help home-owners make the most of their biggest asset. The local economy, especially in rural areas, gets a boost as well, as travellers end up in local cafes, shops and restaurants. ​

​
But there’s a downside. Residents of apartment buildings worry that their building will turn into a hotel. They cite concerns about security, disrespect for common property, noise and late-night parties and loss of the “community” where they used to live. The traditional accomodation industry - hotels, hostels etc - who make bricks and mortar investments and also provide local employment - are under threat as well. 

Manly residents have already fought, and  won, one battle over this.  Noisy “party units” were so disruptive that in 2004 Manly Council took action and required short-term renters to obtain council consent in order to operate. 

This time around its the sharing economy which has emerged so quickly that legislation is struggling to keep up. A NSW parliamentary inquiry into the short term rental industry was held last year and its recommendations are now under review. 

The most contentious issue is over what say apartment owners should have over how their apartment block is used.  The concern is not about residents renting out a spare room, or even renting their whole unit for a few weeks at a time.  But owners corporations are horrified at the thought that an apartment may turn into party central every week of the year, and there will be nothing they can do about it.  

That fear was addressed in a recent government statement on the issue. It took on the most frightening recommendation of the parliamentary inquiry; that holiday lets should be “complying developments”, meaning there would be no legal basis for apartment blocks to pass by-laws to block or restrict them. 

But the relevant government ministers - Anthony Roberts for Planning and Matt Kean for Innovation & Better Regulation -  didn't agree and said they needed more time to consult with all the stakeholders.

The ministers, who  will release a position paper this month, say that work needs to be done to find “a balance between providing options for accomodation and allowing residents to go about their daily lives”. Stakeholders, including the traditional tourism industry, the house-sharing economy and residential communities will be consulted. 

“We don’t want a holiday accomodation market that’s so over-regulated it puts people off coming here, but the rights of residents who live near these properties must be considered too,” Mr Keen said. 

Good For Manly president Candy Bingham said she welcomed the consultative approach. 

"I've been contacted by people who are in despair over problem units in the building they live in," she said.  "They say that existing by laws covering noise and problem behaviour are not enough to deal with people who are just coming to have a good time, and behave as if they've booked into a unsupervised hostel".

“I believe apartment owners deserve the right to decide if short-term rentals are permitted within their strata communities and if so on what basis it is permitted.” she said.

​What do you think?

​The Good For Manly four year fight against the Manly Oval car park plan, spearheaded by former Manly Councillor Candy Bingham, has been fully vindicated now that independent assessments into the controversial project have been released - and they are as damning as it gets!

A full copy of the reports by Ernst & Young and Value Networks can be downloaded below. In summary they highlight:

• The Oval Car Park project presented a significant risk to council and its ratepayers and should not go ahead. The Geotech investigation of soil, rock and water conditions under the oval was totally inadequate; no RMS traffic management approval had been granted, contrary to normal practice; council reports missed the fact that  the water table was 1 -1.5 metres above the floor level of the upper level of thecar park, and other council reports were inaccurate and out of date.
  
  
• The cost of car park was significantly underestimated by council at $28m vs the  more likely cost of $45-$50m.  All risks were put on the council which would have had to pick up the additional costs.
  
  
• Council assumed significant contract risks which were likely to increase the final costs of the Manly Oval Car Park. The council did not use the standard Government Contract but rather a private enterprise one which did not properly protect the Council or ratepayers.
  
  
• the car park specifications were so vague, that there were virtually no evaluation criteria for the in-house evaluation panel to use to evaluate the competing tenders.  Could this be why a non-conforming tender appeared to be given preferential treatment? 

And most importantly ….

• Not even the basics were done on this multi-million dollar commitment - no business case was ever prepared, and the General Manager several times actually refused to put a motion on the agenda calling for a business plan to be prepared.

​“The Manly community, all the non-Liberal Manly councillors, and my community group Good For Manly, have been incredibly worried about this reckless project from the start,” Mrs Bingham said. “Now that we have seen the independent reports, the reality was probably even worse than we thought.”
 
She said that the project, which was pushed by former Mayor Jean Hay and GM Henry Wong, lacked even the most basic of business principals. 
 
“This was a huge project for Manly - it involved building what would most likely have been a $50M car park in difficult, water logged ground under the sports oval. To finance it we would have had to accept a non-complying commercial and residential development in the heart of Manly village,” Mrs Bingham said. 
 
“Despite all that, the reports found that the council did not even have a business plan; there was no adequate financial risk assessment; the specifications for the oval car park were hopelessly vague and the total cost of building the oval car park was significantly underestimated.   And the contract the council eventually signed actually transferred all the car park project risks to the council and its ratepayers." 
 
These failings, along with other serious concerns, were so grave, that both independent reports recommended the project should be terminated, despite Manly Council having already signed contracts with developers just days before its amalgamation. 
 
Mrs Bingham said Council general manager Henry Wong and Mayor Jean Hay, who were the main drivers of the project, had been warned time after time that the plans were flawed.
 
“We have been asking for a business plan since day one”, Mrs Bingham said 
“In the end it got so bad we couldn’t even discuss it in council.  I tried to put a motion on the council agenda asking for a  business case to be developed and the general manager refused.  He didn’t have the right to, but he did it anyway. I then asked Mayor Jean Hay to debate the item as a matter of urgency but she refused too. "
 
Mrs Bingham said the reports also revealed that although the oval car park had been ‘sold’ as parking for locals and shoppers, the General Manager had told developers to design the car park for commuters.  
 
“That is just appalling,” Mrs Bingham said. “While Henry Wong was promoting the plans by promising they would increase parking spaces in Manly, (which in fact they wouldn't due to the number of parking spaces that were to be removed from the streets), what he was actually doing was removing our locals' car park, and putting up a commuter car park instead.”
 
“Whistler St car park is used by 425,000 cars each year.  If you assume an average spend per car of $20, then pulling the car park down means Manly retailers would lose almost $10 million every year.  That would have gutted Manly Village as a retail and commercial precinct.”
 
Mrs Bingham also pointed to Manly Council’s track record with new infrastructure. 
“The car park would have been the same as the swimming pool debacle. The GM said the pool upgrade would cost $15M. It cost $28M plus no allowance had been made for the $900,000 annual additional staff costs. The car park would have been the swimming pool on steroids.”
 
Mrs Bingham acknowledged the hard work of Good For Manly, community group Save Manly Oval Alliance, the non-Liberal councillors Barbara Aird, Cathy Griffin and Hugh Burns, the North Harbour Precinct and the Manly community in the oval car park battle. And she called for those responsible to be held to account. 
 
“Given the damning nature of these reports, I believe Northern Beaches Council should consider taking action against former GM Henry Wong for misleading the council and entering into contracts that had no hope of being delivered  for the approved budget,” Mrs Bingham said.  
 
“The reports are also an indictment on the former Liberal block of five councillors, who were derelict in their duty to the community they were supposed to represent.
 
“Serious questions still remain about who was to benefit from the two projects - it certainly wasn't  the community”

The Northern Beaches Council is left with trying to sort out the mess, including massive claims for compensation from Built/Athas who were awarded the tender for the Whistler Street site.

What do you think should be done about this debacle?

It’s like Uber with benefits - It’s local, it involves your own circle of friends, and best of all - it’s free!

Localift is an app built by Manly entrepreneurs Krystyna Weston and Stephen Coulter to help people arrange free lifts between people they know. Like car-pooling, but rejigged for people living their lives in the fast lane. 

Ms Weston and Mr Coulter say our traffic is already so bad, we can’t wait for promised infrastructure such as tunnels, road widening or B-Line buses. Their statistics illustrate the point:



•    We live in a car culture, with 75% of Northern Beaches workers driving to work
•    Only 1 in 14 cars have a passenger
•    25% of morning peak hour traffic is related to schools
•   Saturday sport creates terrible traffic and parking chaos 

“Look at netball as an example,” Ms Weston said.  “ With the season starting in April, every Saturday there are thousands of people at John Fisher Park at Curl Curl creating traffic and parking congestion for participants and residents.  If an app like Localift is used there’s potential to reduce cars by 25% to 50%.”

She said Localift works by bringing together social networking, mapping, messaging and calendars in one app.  Users “friend” each other in the app and can arrange lifts directly or through groups of friends.

“This is a brilliant idea by Krystyna and Stephen, and could be a real game-changer for our region,”  Good For Manly President Candy Bingham said. 

“I’ve used the app and it worked very well. I love the way this will not only take cars off the road, but has the potential to strengthen community ties.

“And we’re the first ‘cab’ off the rank, which is very cool. If the app is a success here, it will be rolled out in other regions and overseas."

You can download the Localift app from iTunes or Google Play, or contact help@localift.net to have your sport, school or club more actively involved.  More details at localift.net 

Thanks to the hard work of a community committee comprising local residents and artists, the iconic Oceanides sculpture at Fairy Bower, known by locals as the 'sea nymphs, will be reinstated in long lasting bronze.

The committee, made up of Hugh Burns, Heather Potts, Wendy McCready, Julie Bakalor, Candy Bingham, Sherree Hooper, Sharon Curby and Janne Seletto, has successfully matched the $40,000 pledged by the Northern Beaches Council.

"We have been blown away by the passion felt by  people in relation to this sculpture.  The crowd-funding raised almost half the additional $40,000 needed, and the sale of limited edition miniature sculptures has ensured the funds needed have now been raised," explained Candy Bingham, Head of Fundraising for the project.

Feature stories in the Manly Daily and Sun-Herald spread the word, and more than 10,000 promotional flyers were distributed in local letterboxes promoting the crowd-funding website.

In addition, the Northern Beach Council supported the campaign by erecting a large "Save Our Sea Nymphs" donation sign at the entrance to the Fairy Bower pool.

The project was accepted by the Federal Government's Australian Cultural Fund, which enabled donations to be tax-deductible.

Artist Helen Leete worked tirelessly with the Committee, donating her time and talents to produce  two miniature sculptures of the Sea Nymphs, which  were available in  23cm and 50cm. Only twelve of each will be produced.

The launch of the fundraising event, took place at the Bronze Sculpture Gallery at North Head on Friday night (31/3/17) with students of Helen Leete providing the catering and the Manly Art Gallery providing its full support with the loan of glasses, a lecturn and donation box.  By the end of the evening the final funds needed were quickly secured with the sale of the 50cm miniature sculptures selling out. 

"The project has been a wonderful example of how the Council and its community can work together to get the outcomes they want, and really highlighted for me just how much art is appreciated in this area", Candy Bingham added.

Clive Calder of the Bronze Sculpture Gallery and Foundry at North Head will cast the replacement sculpture, which is hoped to be back in its proud position overlooking Fairy Bower Pool in time for next summer.

Well done Manly! 

The Northern Beaches Council released last week a review of the Dog Parks in the Northern Beaches following representation by dog owner groups last year that there were inadequate off-leash areas.

It was revealed that there are a staggering 43,000 registered dogs in the Northern Beaches. It is unclear how many homes have dogs as many homes may have more than one dog.
 
Interestingly the report found that Council believed that the off leash dog areas within the Northern Beaches LGA was adequate as there is a higher supply in comparison to four similar sized local government areas in Sydney, and residents are able to access these areas with no more than 10 minutes driving time.  
 
Dog owner representatives argued however that most of these areas are overcrowded, and do not provide adequate facilities. 

Current Locations of Unleashed Dog Exercise Areas 
Currently Council provides 26 Unleashed Dog Exercise Areas  in the three regions including:

 1. Hitchcock Park, Careel Bay
 2. Dearin Reserve, Newport
 3. South Mona Vale Headland (Robert Dunn Reserve)
 4. Progress Park, Narrabeen
 5. Rowland Reserve, Bayview
 6. Mackerel Beach Reserve – from the public wharf north to the boundary with the National Park between
     sunrise to 9.30am and 5:00pm to sunset
 7. McCarrs Creek Reserve, McCarrs Creek – trial unleashed dog area allowing for unleashed dogs at the western
     end of the reserve on weekdays (excluding public holidays) only  
 8. Deep Creek Reserve – Unleashed Dog Training Area
 9. Forestville Memorial Playing Fields
10. Currie Road, Forestville (near Forestville Park)
11. Beverley Job Reserve, Narraweena
12. Flora and Ritchie Roberts Reserve, Griffin Road, Curl Curl (Curl Curl Lagoon)
13. John Fisher Park, Adams Street, Curl Curl
14. Hinkler Park, Pittwater Road, Queenscliff
15. Truman Reserve, Cromer 
16. Griffith Park, Long Reef
17. Frenchs Forest Showground, Frenchs Forest
18. LM Graham Reserve, Fairlight
19. Lagoon Park, Queenscliff
20. Manly Cemetery, Fairlight
21. North Harbour Reserve, Condamine Street, Balgowlah

The Council committed $400,000.00, over four years, to be spent to improve facilities for dogs and their owners.

Manly Lagoon Issues
A site specific issue has been identified following complaints concerning dog usage of Manly Lagoon at Queenscliff Bridge. The boundary between the two former Councils at this location was the centre of the Lagoon. The southern bank of the Lagoon formed ‘Manly Lagoon Park’ which is a designated unleashed dog area. However, dogs enter the water at this location and often encroach onto the northern bank and into private properties opposite. One resident informed Council at the meeting that it was not uncommon for dogs to enter his property, even his home, from the other side of the Lagoon.

There is also a playground, barbecue facilities and a cycleway at Manly Lagoon Park which can cause conflicting issues with dogs off-leash. The Council has undertaken to investigate these areas further.

A cluttered field of 12 candidates, many of whom don't even live in our area, has made it even more difficult for the genuine contenders.

Thats' the line-up for the State By-Election on Saturday 8th April. 

Here's  A Quick Guide:

1.  The Candidates Although 12 people have registered to stand, there are really only three serious contenders: They are Clara Williams-Roldan (Greens), James Griffin (Liberal) and Kathryn Ridge (Independent).

Please take a moment to check out their websites and policies by clicking on their names, which will give you a direct link.

It is interesting to note that there has been an anti-LIberal vibe in the area, particularly since the pre-selection of James Griffin as the Liberal candidate.  The Save Manly Oval Alliance has produced a fact sheet on James's performance as a Councillor on Manly Council (see below), which speaks volumes.

2. Who to Support? Many people are asking me who I am personally supporting. I know all three candidates well and think Clara has a great future, but needs more experience behind her. James's performance as  a Councillor with me on Manly Council was lack-lustre. He supported the Manly Oval Car Park and contributed very little to community projects. Kathryn is an experienced lawyer with a long record of backing community projects and getting results.   I'm supporting Kathryn as I believe she will be an outstanding independent Local Member. 

3. Pre Polling Details
Pre-Polling operates from Monday 27th March - Friday 07 Apr 2017  at Manly Oval Pavillion, Sydney Road Manly and at  Unit 2, 192 Harbord Rd, Brookvale. 
Mon - Fri: 8:00am - 6:00pm
Thu  (06 Apr): 8:00am - 8:00pm
Sat: 9:00am - 5:00pm Closed on Sun
Polling Day Saturday 8th April.

4. Volunteer  If you would like to support Kathryn Ridge by helping out on pre-polling or polling day, contact Anne Lanham, dion0106@bigpond.com or phone: 0427 787833.  If you wish to support other candidates, contact them via their websites.

5. Meet the Candidates  The Greater Manly Resident Forum is staging a Meet The Candidates evening on Monday 3rd April at 7pm at Manly West Public School.  It will be well worth attending.   More details here.

Will a strong independent gain the support of locals again, or will the Liberals win the day?  What do you think?

Although many locals are concerned by the increased concentration of a large numbers of people at the wharf precinct, nonetheless the upgrade of existing facilities is considered overdue.

It is believed that the group, run by property industry investor Robert Magid, now has a shortlist of construction firms.  A hand-selected list of restaurateurs will be invited to submit expressions of interest to join the current tenants including Hugo's, Papi Chulo​ and the Bavarian restaurant.

Two new restaurants, 563 square metres and 548 sqm in size, with floor to ceiling views and outdoor dining will be built  above the existing Wharf Hotel and Papi Chulo establishments.

The Manly Independent Assessment Panel approved the development plans for the second-storey restaurants, in October 2015 in accordance with the original conditions of consent as approved by the Land & Environment Court of NSW in July 2013.

Additional modifications to the existing property include new passenger and operational lifts, joint lobby, extra storage and an additional private staircase. 

Background on Manly Wharf
Built in 1855 as a passenger terminal, Manly Wharf has undergone many changes.
The latest plan is the second transformation of the wharf by Mr Magid. 
In 2001, he got the green light to start a $12 million redevelopment of the wharf into an eating and shopping precinct. That plan, which also included a proposal for a 200-room, six-storey hotel, was knocked back by Manly Council.
​
That revised plan led him to transform the site into an "emporium" of restaurants, cafes, shops and the current crop of bars.

,When we asked the community for comments on the Good For Manly Facebook page one of the main concerns seemed to be the proposed unisex toilets, rather than separate male and female facilities.

The addition of an outside shower was popular being close the the change rooms themselves, although we also want o keep the shower by the pool too!

We also received feedback from a diver who reported that parts of the old toilet block are still clearly visible on the ocean floor.

It is expected work will commence on the new facilities mid year.

Good for Manly has made a submission to Council incorporating comments received.  What do you think?

It would have to be one of Manly's most popular gathering spots and yet years of neglect by the former Manly Council has turned East Esplanade into a sorry excuse for a park.

 Years of requests by the Little Manly Precinct and former Councillor Candy Bingham for a Masterplan for this harbourside jewel were all but ignored, with the former Council regularly topsoiling this area in an effort to keep it looking reasonable, only to have the soil washed away the first time it rained.  Which created another issue - dirt being washed consistently onto the sand and into the harbour.

It now appears that a former resolution moved by Clr Bingham to have the toilet facilities replaced and increased, and for a Masterplan to be developed for the area, has been taken up by the new Northern Beaches Council administration, who are seriously looking into the issue.

"The Council has also recognised that this area is in need of urgent maintenance, with major erosion causing the space to look more like an old war zone than a park"  Good For Manly President Candy Bingham said.

"East Esplanade has become the spot for locals and visitors alike to gather to enjoy a swim, picnic and watch the sunset.  It has been literally loved to death", she added.

The area has so many issues that need to be addressed including the storm water catchment, sewage odours, cigarette butts and bottle tops which are difficult to remove, and of course the lack of toilet facilities.

What would you like to see improved at East Esplanade Reserve?