Sydney Morning Herald 15/8/18. 'Developer chases $74 million payout in bungled Manly development'. It says:

"The builder contracted to transform a site in Manly's town centre has accused the former Manly Council of misleading conduct for failing to reveal it bungled the contract when the company signed up to the doomed project.

But the new Northern Beaches Council has levelled the blame at the previous council's general manager, Henry Wong, who it claims in court documents was not authorised to enter into the agreement....".   More here

​The reinstatement of the famous harbour pool and boardwalk came closer this month with  a $100,000 NSW Government grant received by the Council to undertake a Masterplan for the area.  For years Good For Manly has been advocating for the pool to be reinstated, with plans drawn up by eco architect Maurice Patten.  Now, thanks to the support of Local Member James Griffin, this community-lead project is back on the agenda.

The Masterplan will include extensive community consultation and consideration of this environmentally sensitive area.  First, here's a reminder of how things used to be. 

SEVEN MILES FROM SYDNEY - AND A THOUSAND MILES FROM CARE ...

​Picture the excitement as families rushed off the Manly ferry, hurried over the boardwalk and jumped into Sydney’s biggest harbour pool. 

Crowds of happy people would be eating ice-cream on the walkway, diving from the pontoons and high boards and spilling off the slippery dips and treadmills; shrieking and splashing.

From the early 1930’s locals and tourists alike flocked to the free public pool, dubbed the ‘best swimming pool in Australia’. Thrill-seekers sought out the high dive platforms and 15m waterslide and a generation of Sydneysiders swam and played in the protected waters behind the shark nets.

There were spacious changerooms and plenty of tearooms for afterwards. At night, from 1932, floodlights above and below the water lit the promenade and turned the water green. 

At its peak, over 250,000 visitors came to the baths every year, boosting local businesses which offered fun rides and speed-boat trips, as well as food and drink.  

The pool justified Manly’s famous slogan:  ‘Seven miles from Sydney and a thousand miles from care’, and the village revelled in its prime holiday destination status.

Originally constructed in 1931 by the Port Jackson Steamship Company, the boardwalk survived the wartime years but, by the mid ‘60s, maintenance needs were rising and there was talk of demolishing the structure. 

In May 1974 a severe autumn gale pre-empted the decision and destroyed the boardwalk so thoroughly that then owners, Brambles Industries, had no choice but to remove everything.

YOU CAN VIEW A WONDERFUL SHORT DOCUMENTARY ON THE HISTORY OF THE POOL, produced by local Marian Hambly, HERE

And here's our video of ideas for a new green, family friendly harbour pool precinct.     More details here.

A change to the alignment of the tunnel means the Balgowlah course can now be used for major construction work and later, as the site of one of the two tunnel ventilation stacks.  This move not only saves homes and bushland west of Burnt Bridge Deviation but also moves the stack further away from Seaforth Public School.  Permanent infrastructure, including the exhaust stack and a tunnel link road, mean that the site will no longer be viable as a golf course. Instead the government has promised that once the tunnel work is done, it will be reconfigured into playing fields or open space.

Changes have been made at Seaforth as well. The second tunnel access point and exhaust stack has been moved 500m further north along Wakehurst Parkway, as a result of concerns that the infrastructure would be too close to houses and Seaforth oval.  The government has promised that Seaforth oval sports fields will not be affected by construction work, and that work trucks will be kept off local roads.  As well, Wakehurst Parkway will get wildlife crossing sites, and a new cycle/pedestrian path, complete with an underpass.

Northern Beaches Councillor Sarah Grattan, who has been working closely with community advocacy groups, said while the changes were welcome, more needed to be done. 

“(The design) is not perfect by any stretch - but thanks to constructive community advocacy we have a much better proposal to work with,” Cr Grattan said. 

She said unresolved issues include the tunnel access site on Wakehurst Parkway, which has not been moved far enough north, and remains too close to homes on Kirkwood St. And the Balgowlah emission stack remains a concern as fumes may be trapped in the ‘Balgowlah  basin’. Cr Grattan suggests that airflow should be redirected in the tunnel to push the majority of emissions to the Wakehurst Parkway stack, which is on a ridge, and therefore better positioned for dispersal of fumes. Filtering the Balgowlah stack is another suggestion. 

Other concerns include construction traffic and road safety around Balgowlah Boys High School; compensation and transfer options for Balgowlah Golf Club members and the effect of a major construction site in Seaforth. 

Discussions are underway between the Manly Surf Life Saving Club and Northern Beaches Council to begin the process to upgrade facilities at Manly's iconic beach.

At the June Council meeting, Deputy Mayor, Candy Bingham, moved that Council prepare a report on:

1. The present condition and adequacy of the Manly Life Saving Club building.
   
   
2. What action would be appropriate to bring the Club’s building into line with present and foreseeable future requirements.
   
   
3.  The possibility of a design competition for a new building.
   
   
4. What funding options would be available, for a new building, including Government Grants.

 
A full report is expected to be competed by by October 2018.

Some Background on MLSC​​
Established in 1903 Manly Life Saving Club is one of the oldest surf clubs in Australia. It is situated at the iconic Manly Beach where an estimated 2 million people swim each year. 
 
The Club is run solely by volunteers, and is the largest on the Northern Beaches with 1975 members, including 705 young nippers and cadets, and 670 patrolling volunteer members.  
 
Manly’s volunteer lifesavers performed a total of 16,000 patrol hours and 3,950 water safety hours in the 2017/2018 season.  MLSC trains and refreshes credentials of over 800 people each year.
 
Why A New Building?
The existing building, which was constructed in 1981, is now totally inadequate for the current needs of the Club, and the community.  For example, when the Club was built, there were only 30 patrolling female members, there are now 760! 
 
The structure is in an extremely poor condition and provides no disability access. 
 
In addition, the public facilities are antiquated and totally inadequate.  For example SurfEducate host 200 schools and run 300 sessions on Manly Beach each year, a total of 15,000 students.

The Bold & Beautiful and other ocean swimming groups can tally over 600 swimmers on the average summer morning.  Even in winter these numbers still remain in the hundreds, seven days a week.  And of course there are millions of tourists each year visiting the beach.
 
Some years ago Manly Life Saving Club obtained a Development Approval to substantially remodel the Club, with an estimated budget of $5m required. However, present indications are that a complete rebuilding of the existing structure is required.

Council has committed $550,000 across three community grant streams in 2018/19 and local community groups are encouraged to apply.  Workshops will also be held to assist with how to to fill out an application.

There are the categories:

• Community and Cultural Development – closing 11am, Monday 6 August
• Events – closing 11am, Monday 6 August
• Sports and Recreation Infrastructure – closing 11am, Thursday 2 August.

 
Eligibility
Applicants must be incorporated not-for-profit organisations; however, individuals and unincorporated small groups may apply for a grant but must be auspiced by an eligible organisation.
 
Each grant program has its own eligibility, objectives and assessment criteria with clear guidelines and application forms are to be completed online. Contact details for each program are contained in the relevant guidelines.
 
Find out more
Information sessions are being held at Dee Why Civic Centre:
Community and Cultural Development and Events Grants:
Tuesday 3 July, 10am – 12noon
Wednesday 4 July, 6 - 8pm

Sport and Recreation Infrastructure Grants: 
Monday 2 July, 10am – 12noon  and 6 – 8pm
 
Two general grant writing seminars will also be held on:  
Thursday 5 July, 10am – 12noon at Dee Why Civic Centre
Thursday 5 July, 6 – 8pm at Manly Town Hall

A traffic study and improved pedestrian amenities are planned for Roseberry Street Balgowlah following an initiative by Clr Candy Bingham

​On 18 March 2018 the Greater Sydney Commission announced the finalisation of the Greater Sydney Region Plan - A Metropolis of Three Cities and five district plans, including the North District Plan. North District comprises nine (9) Local Government Areas (LGAs), including the Northern Beaches LGA.

​


The finalised plans outline the State Government’s strategic planning direction at the regional and district level and are intended to filter down to Council’s planning at the local level.
 
An earlier version of North District Plan (Revised Draft North District Plan) was reported to Council on 19 December 2017, and Council resolved to forward a submission to the GSC. There is no further opportunity to make submissions or request changes. 

Key features of the North District Plan relevant to the Northern Beaches include:

•  Strategic Centres at Mona Vale, Brookvale-Dee Why, and Manly
•  Health & Education Precinct at Frenchs Forest
• Land Release Area at Ingleside
• No change to housing and jobs targets, with councils to prepare housing strategies to meet a District-wide target of 92,000 additional dwellings by 2036
• Western Harbour Tunnel and Beaches Link identified on the North District Plan Structure Plan
• Requirement for councils to review and update their Local Environmental Plans (LEPs) within 3 years
• More stringent policy statements for retention of industrial land and a requirement for Council to conduct a strategic review of industrial land as part of updating LEPs 
• A new requirement for high density residential development to be located within 200m of open space, in addition to the requirement for all dwellings to be within 400m of open space.

Outstanding Matters
The finalised North District Plan responds to some of the matters raised in Council’s previous submission. Matters that have not been adequately addressed relate to:

• Metropolitan rural lands;
• Transport corridors and public transport improvements;
• Urban renewal and local infill medium density housing; and
• Delivery of infrastructure to meet community needs.

Although there is no further opportunity to make submissions, the North District Plan is intended to be a ‘living document’ updated from time to time.  Council can continue to make its position known to the Greater Sydney Commission if and when opportunities arise in the future, in addition to utilising its own planning and development approval processes to pursue desired outcomes.
​
Implementation
The considerable and comprehensive planning work that follows on from the finalisation of the Greater Sydney Region Plan and North District Plan will need to be accounted for in Council’s future programs, resourcing and budgeting.

North District Plan makes reference to a number of planning tasks and deliverables that Council will be responsible for, including:

• Local strategic planning statement
• Review and update Local Environmental Plans within 3 years (i.e. by March 2021)
• Housing strategy in line with targets
• Affordable rental housing target scheme
• Strategic review of industrial land and broader employment study
• Ongoing collaboration on Frenchs Forest and Ingleside.

You can read the entire plan, here.
(Source:  Information provided by Northern Beaches Council)

​
​
​





You can view the Council's Draft Delivery & Operational Plans, Budget and Resourcing Strategy here.

Move. We all need to do it but here on the Northern Beaches, it’s one of our worst problems. Now the Northern Beaches Council is taking the problem on, but they need your support. ​​

FINAL UPDATE:  March 27

Locals and visitors will still be able to have a glass of wine while the sun goes down, after the Council adopted a motion from Crs Candy Bingham & Sarah Grattan  for an 8pm curfew, and additional measures to control  anti-social behaviour at East Esplanade Reserve.

The motion, which was passed last night, is that Council

• Endorse the ‘Alcohol Prohibited Area’ at East Esplanade to an Alcohol Prohibited Area from 8.00pm to 8.00am to assist Council and Police to enforce the zoning.

 

• Undertake the deployment of night rangers or alternative measures to deal with noise issues and enforcement of Alcohol Prohibited Areas. If user-paid police are used at anytime that a quarterly report be prepared for council on dates and costs.

 

• Develop other strategies to clear the area of illegal drinkers.

 

• Refer the matter to the Northern Beaches Safety Advisory Committee for ongoing monitoring.

 

• Prepare a Community Safety Management Plan for East Esplanade within the next three months.

The purpose of the Safety Management Plan is to ensure that there is a clear direction on how the park is to be managed in the future.  This will include consistent signage, liaison with the Police, Council Ranger patrols and  lighting for example. An immediate change is that Council  landscaping work is set to start  in April. 

It was pleasing to see that new signs had already been erected in time for the Easter holiday weekend, and Ranger Patrols were scheduled.

​====================================================================================

UPDATE: Feb 28. At the Council meeting last night Crs Candy Bingham and Sarah Grattan put a four-point motion to Northern Beaches Council. As well as the call for council to monitor the area with night rangers or the deployment of off-duty police,  the motion called for a review of the current Alcohol Prohibited Area times with alcohol banned at 8.00pm instead of 4pm, to give locals and visitors a reasonable picnicing window. . The reinstatement of the former Manly Safety Committee which brings together community representatives, councillors, police and other relevant agencies, will reconvene shorty as the Northern Beaches Safety Advisory Committee and will be asked to continue to monitor the situation.

Although Council staff indicated that the budget was available to immediately start the deployment of off-duty police (at a cost of $55,000 vs $14,000 for night rangers)  the motion was lost with a deferral to the next meeting moved by Crs Pat Daley & Cr Stuart Sprott who are pushing for a 24 hour prohibited zone.

The matter is now on hold until the next meeting of Council on 27 March 2018.

BACKGROUND: Manly’s beautiful East Esplanade reserve is a crowd favourite for a few drinks as the sun is going down. But ‘the office’ is also popular for parties and drinking late into the night. And that leads to problems including aggressive behaviour, urination in public including in locals’ front yards, and piles of rubbish. The reserve is currently designated alcohol free after 4pm but clearly the ban is not working.

A Manly Community Forum residents’ meeting last week, attended by Northern Beaches Police Commander Superintendent Dave Darcy, and Manly Ward Councillors Candy Bingham, Sarah Grattan and Pat Daley, brought the issue to a head. Many locals said they hated the late-night parties and wanted to know why the alcohol bans were not been enforced by the Police or council rangers.

Good For Manly President and Northern Beaches Deputy Mayor Candy Bingham said while the situation  was unacceptable, police resources were limited and they should not be criticised for putting the most serious incidents first. She said the Council should re-introduce night and weekend rangers to patrol the park and deal with low-level complaints. 

“Manly Council used to have night rangers, but the service was lost with the amalgamation into Northern Beaches Council” she said. “We need to bring the council rangers back to take responsibility early in the evening, then the police would come in only if they were really required.” 

Cr Pat Daley called for a complete 24-hour drinking ban, but an informal vote at the resident meeting clearly favoured limited restrictions only. 

Supt Darcy said order maintenance in East Esplanade was “a team game”.  He supported the return of night and weekend rangers, and the reinstatement of the Manly Safety Committee. He told the meeting that people should call triple 0 if they see someone acting aggressively, or urinating on private property. For other issues, including loud music or late parties, they should call Manly Police Station. 

“Seventy percent of alcohol-fuelled violence in the whole Northern Beaches happens in The Corso,” Supt Darcy said. “We’ve had a huge improvement in that area over the years, but it needs tight policing, and that’s where my priority lies. 

Good as Cabbage Tree Bay is, imagine it even better. Manly's favourite snorkel spot will be part of a project to restore Sydney's lost underwater forests. It involves physically attaching starter crayweed colonies to bare rocks in the bay. The crayweed - a form of seaweed which once flourished along the Sydney coastline - has the potential to  re-invigorate the marine environment literally from the bottom up.

The project has been made possible thanks to the passion and generosity of local couple Dorset Sutton and Jenny Lim Sutton, and the creativity of scientists at Sydney Institute of Marine Science (SIMS). 

The couple's philanthropy has a second focus too - transforming seawalls in Little Manly Cove into complex marine communities.  

SIMS Director Professor Peter Steinberg said 50% of Sydney's shoreline is built - mostly in the form of seawalls and jetties - creating an unnatural and difficult environment for sea creatures. 

The 'Lim-Sutton Initiative' means seawalls at Little Manly will be retrofitted with 'tiles' containing ribs and protrusions to mimic rocky shoreline habitats, and turning flat vertical surfaces into three-dimensional microhabitats for creatures as diverse as crabs, mussels, sea snails, sponges and algae. 

The 'living seawalls' can form the basis of an ecological community that supports marine plants, sponges, algae, molluscs, crustaceans and eventually healthy fish communities. 

"Jenny and I are thrilled to be able to help with these two great projects,” Mr Sutton said. “Restoring crayweed and naturalising the seawalls will boost the whole marine community and be a step towards getting these areas back to how they once were."

Professor Steinberg said both projects were part of larger endeavours.  He said crayweed (Phyllospora comosa) once formed 70km of underwater forests off Sydney's coast. The thick forests were killed off by water pollution during the 1980s, in an ecological tragedy that went unnoticed for almost 30 years. Now that our water is clean again, it's possible to bring them back. For more information and to help go to www.operationcrayweed.com

A Manly Hospital Community Workshop was held in early December by Northern Sydney Local Health District and Health Infrastructure to engage with key community representatives and stakeholders, and build on the work previously undertaken by the Manly Hospital Community Advisory Group (MHCAG). 
 
There is broad community support for the Manly Hospital Site to continue to provide health and wellbeing services and the aim of the session was to enable a mapping of the current and projected health services across the District, and identify potential gaps and service opportunities that may be pursued through feasibility and due diligence studies.
 
Who Is On the Committee?
A number of key community stakeholders including representatives from the Greater Manly Residents Forum and Manly Community Forum, Community Northern Beaches, Bear Cottage, National Parks and Wildlife, Royal Far West, Cerebral Palsy Alliance, One Door (formerly Schizophrenia Fellowship), Northern Beaches Council and Sydney North Health Network attended the meeting and provided valuable input into the workshop.  The Local Member for Manly, James Griffin also attended for part of the workshop and was represented throughout.
 
The workshop commenced with an outline of project governance by Health Infrastructure and an overview of the extended timeline in terms of moving the project forward, commencing with due diligence studies of the Manly Hospital site to occur in 2018. 
 
NSLHD provided an overview of the health services on the Northern Beaches including reference to the Northern Beaches Redevelopment program relating to the new Northern Beaches Hospital, the transformation of Mona Vale Hospital and the comprehensive approach to community health services, with a $100M investment for the establishment of major community health centres at Mona Vale Hospital, Brookvale and Dalwood.
 
The workshop examined the ‘health and wellbeing’ theme and  a range of service opportunities were raised including homelessness; affordable housing generally, including affordable housing for essential service personnel; Big Bear Cottage (young adult respite and palliative care); residential care for younger adults (35 – 50) with complex conditions (i.e. MS); services for the disabled; aged care services and mental health services. 
 
Stakeholders were asked to give thought to a range of considerations such as whether there was duplication of existing services; whether services were sustainable; community access; cost effectiveness; evidence of service need; consistency with service plans of the clinical networks and current & future funding arrangements and sustainability.
 

What is Happening Now?
Health Infrastructure has commenced procurement for site due diligence and zonal master planning which will start in early 2018 and discussions are underway with National Parks and Wildlife regarding the re-zoned environmental portion of the site (approximately 2 hectares).  
 
Separately, an opportunities matrix will be developed outlining the identified service opportunities, which will then be subject to intensive review and examination of data, analysis, best practice, demand for services etc.  This work will then inform a Future Use Options Paper initially, followed by a Project Brief, setting out the service need, development options, costs and processes to deal with the site post November 2018.  It’s anticipated this Options Paper will be presented to the Northern Beaches Health Service Redevelopment Project Delivery Board (PDB) by mid-2018.
 
The Project Steering Advisory Committee will meet monthly to support this process and provide regular updates to the workshop participants, and broader community on the progress of the Study.
 

In a recent Channel 9 investigation of the problem Airbnb said it would only accept the vans if they were parked on private property. 

Northern Beaches Council is taking action too.  They will put up No Camping signs in streets in problem areas, including around Manly Cove. And while the signs are sometimes ignored, as happens near Manly Lagoon, they are better than nothing. 

Good For Manly President and Council Deputy Mayor Candy Bingham said it was a win for common sense.

“We need a variety of accomodation in Manly, and that includes cheaper, self-contained options,” Cr Bingham said. “But it’s just not right for renters to have no toilet facilities - especially at night when even the public facilities are closed. It’s not right for people renting and it can be pretty terrible for people living nearby.”

“I’d like to congratulate the local residents’ group Manly Community Forum for their persistence with this problem.”

While signs have not yet been put up, at least one of the vans previously parked on East Esplanade has now been moved to private land. 

What’s the best way for the council to collect bulky, household rubbish?

Is it the twice-a-year general clean up that we used to have? Or the system Manly Ward has now where households book their own collections, with up to two free pick-ups a year. 

Northern Beaches Council is currently considering tenders for both these collection systems and will make a choice in the next few months. 

The general suburb-wide clean up is a great chance to re-use other peoples’ throw outs.  But it generates mounds of junk, which is expensive for the council to collect. And the council says research shows that not many items are actually re-cycled.  ​

​The booked clean-ups generate much less trash, but the system has been over-loaded, with residents forced to wait weeks before their rubbish could be collected.  The Council says that will change. Any tender they accept will guarantee that residents wait no longer than 7 to 10 days when they book a collection. 

And if booked collections is the way the Council goes, here’s something to keep re-cyclers happy:  Good For Manly President and Council Deputy Mayor Candy Bingham says she’s pushing for Second Hand Saturday to make a come back. 

“I would love to see this brought back,” Cr Bingham said. “It would be a suburb-wide event that we advertise well in advance. People can put out anything they hope to recycle, but if it’s not taken away, they’re responsible for it and they have to take it back inside again.  That way, the footpath doesn’t end up covered with junk, but there's still plenty of things to recycle.”

Once the Council has decided on general or booked clean ups, the system will be applied to the whole Northern Beaches area. 

​What is your preferred system and why?

​Good For Manly is pushing for a reset; with a call for a longterm plan, as well as an immediate clean-up and re-furbishment. 

“We need to rethink this area,” Good For Manly President and Northern Beaches Council Deputy Mayor Candy Bingham said. 

“The Whistler St triangle is right at the heart of Manly Village. Some parts, such as Whistler St car park have just been allowed to run down, and the whole area looks shoddy and un-loved.  

“I’m asking Northern Beaches Council to take immediate action to repaint, or at least  clean, the outside of the library  and  refurbish the toilets there and in the car park. Also to get rid of all the garbage bins in Market Lane and around the plaza and provide an area for the businesses to store their bins somewhere else.  And  to take action on Whistler St car park to improve signage, lighting, line marking and painting."

Cr Bingham said the Manly 2015 plan put forward by the former Manly Council would have revamped the central area, but involved virtually selling it off via a 99-year-lease to developers. The  village would have ended up grossly over-developed and with a high-rise apartment block at its heart. That plan also relied upon the development of the Manly Oval car park which has now been discredited and cancelled.

“Thanks goodness that’s not going ahead now,” Cr Bingham said. “With the huge support of the local community we saved Manly Oval and now have the opportunity to revamp the Whistler Stret triangle into something special".

Cr  Bingham has put a motion to Northern Beaches Council for a short-term fix, and a longer term plan for the whole Market Place precinct. 

The Beaches Link tunnel is set to become a State Significant infrastructure (SSI) project, meaning all decisions will be made at a State level. ​

The RMS notified stakeholders last week that it had applied to the Department  of Planning for SSI listing for the Western Harbour Tunnel and Beaches Link project.

This step takes decision making out of the hands of councils and local communities, although  Northern Beaches Council will still make a submission to the Planning Minister.  

“I believe local council is always in a better place to understand local communities and get the best outcome for our whole region,”
Good For Manly President and Council Deputy Mayor Candy Bingham said. 

“But due to the size and impact the Beaches Link tunnel will have on a wide area, it was always going to be called in as State Significant Infrastructure.”

Final decisions about SSI applications are made by the Department of Planning and Environment.



​The department website says submissions from relevant councils and public submissions will be considered in the assessment process. 

“While there’s no doubt we need a solution to the terrible traffic around Spit Bridge, there are problems with the existing design for the Beaches Link,” Cr Bingham said. 

“The worst is the proposed location of one of the exhaust stacks, which is right near Seaforth Public School and in a spot where the fumes will be trapped by the prevailing winds and local topography.”

“We should also have public transport in the tunnel. That’s a no brainer.”

The Seaforth/North Balgowlah Beaches Link Community Group has put together a detailed assessment of the proposed stack locations, along with suggestions to solve the trapped-fumes problem.  Details here. 

The uptake of different modes of transport - Uber, driverless cars and in particular, electric cars - will also have an impact on emissions in the future. ​

The new Walk Manly - Pedestrian Access and Mobility Plan - has been put together to identify and fix existing trouble spots; improve access to public transport including the Hop Skip Jump Bus; and anticipate and manage future demand. ​It was adopted by Council in October, and is currently costed at $2,125,000.
 

​Items, which are listed below, are grouped in geographical zones in the study area as shown. 

Or go to the full Walk Manly plan here.  Attachment booklet for NBC meeting 24/10/17. From p21

​

​Manly Town Centre

East Esplanade and Belgrave St junction, opposite the Wharf - this major intersection is notorious for people crossing against the traffic lights.  Options include installing countdown timers to let people know how long they have to wait. This is likely to discourage people from crossing on the red but, because it requires that all pedestrians cross at the same time, it may mean longer wait times for pedestrians and cars. 

Town Hall pedestrian crossing at The Corso and Whistler St.  The existing zebra crossing is too wide and is non-compliant with traffic standards, and markings are confusing.  The crossing should be redesigned and fencing or plantar boxes installed to restrict people to the marked area. 

Rialto Lane - a conflict area with combined loading zone and pedestrian area.  Options include installing wayfinding signage to direct pedestrians away from problem areas, linemarking of loading areas and restricting loading times. The cleanest option, restricting loading to the two privately owned loading zones at either end of the lane, depends on negotiation with the zones owners - Coles and Ribs and Rumps. 

Darley Rd and Wentworth St intersection, opposite Manly Village Public School - unsafe signalised crossing. Motorists try to drive round the corner while pedestrians are crossing on the green light. Traffic lights can be reconfigured for ‘pedestrian protection’, meaning pedestrians get a green light before the traffic does.  Already done. 

Darley Rd and The Corso intersection - pedestrian crossing with traffic lights.  Audit showed nothing wrong with the signage or timing of traffic lights.  Risky behaviour by pedestrians should be targeted in education campaign. 

Raglan St, near St Mary’s school - unsafe zebra crossing.  Options include improve signage and line markings, or installing a raised ‘wombat’ crossing. 

East Esplanade, near Victoria Parade - unsafe zebra crossing. Install better lighting and remove vegetation so pedestrians can be seen. ​

Northern Zone

Pittwater and Balgowlah roads intersection, near Harris Farm Markets - lack of a pedestrian crossing.  Options include installing either a pedestrian refuge or a pedestrian crossing with traffic lights on Pittwater Rd near Harris Farm carpark. Or to convert the existing roundabout into an intersection with traffic lights, with protected pedestrian crossings (pedestrian Walk signal before cars have green light) on all approaches. 

North Steyne, opposite Queenscliff Surf Club - unsafe raised ‘womat’ crossing. This crossing is at a complicated intersection between North Steyne, Collingwood St and Cameron Ave, on a curving road with short sight lines. It also adds to traffic congestion in the area. Options include moving the crossing 50m south on North Steyne, or redirecting pedestrians through the existing underpass - but in both cases people will probably still try and cross opposite the surf club. The third option is to put traffic lights at the existing intersection, including at Cameron Ave and Collingwood St. 

Manly ocean beach shared bike path - conflict between pedestrians, cyclists and people getting out of cars. Suggestion is to paint very obvious ‘shared pathway’ line marking, although there are concerns this may not be enough.  

Manly Lagoon shared pathway - too narrow and poorly lit. Options include widening the pathway or creating a second pathway, depending on the outcome of community consultation. Improve lighting, while minimising light pollution into nearby homes. 

Pittwater Rd bridge over far end Queenscliff Lagoon - narrow footpath with shared pedestrian/cycle way. Options include pedestrian fencing or widening the footpath or building a separate bike path bridge. 

Pittwater Rd, near Carlton St junction - no existing crossing.  A fully signalised (traffic lights) intersection.  Pittwater Rd is a State Road so approval is needed from the RMS. This is a big ticket item, costing about $800,000. It's expected the RMS will pay up to 50% of the costs. 

North Steyne, near Carlton St junction - no existing crossing.  Pedestrian refuge, with design to minimise conflict with cyclists on ocean front shared path.  Along with new traffic lights on Pittwater Rd at the other end of Carlton St, this would create a clear walking pathway down Carlton St to the ocean front. 

North Steyne, near Denison St - unsafe zebra crossing. Install better lighting.

North  Steyne, near Pacific St - zebra crossing.  Clear vegetation from signage.

Southern Zone/Eastern Hill

Bower Lane providing local access to Fairy Bower - a ‘high conflict’ area with pedestrians, cars and a loading zone.  Convert area to ‘shared zone’  including removing footpath to widen roadway and installing smooth paving across entire road surface. Restrict loading times and the size of commercial vehicles. 

East Esplanade, near Ashburner St junction - unsafe crossing. A zebra crossing had been suggested here but is not suitable as it would be too near a corner and on a downhill run. Plan is to direct pedestrians away from the corner  by extending crash barrier on the north side of E Esplanade and adding pedestrian fencing. Then creating a safe place to cross on the far side of the junction to cross by adding a pedestrian refuge just north of Ashburner St. 

Reddall and Cliff streets intersection - unsafe high pedestrian area. Install pedestrian refugees.

Darley Rd pavement above Marshall St - unsafe shared bike/pedestrian path. Better signage, including on driveways crossing path, and footpath markings.
​
Sydney Road Zone

Commonwealth Pde near Fairlight St junction - unsafe pedestrian refuge.  Refuge is on a sweeping curve and hard to see for drivers coming from the east.  Increase signage and install traffic calming road cushions.

Manly Swim Centre

Kenneth and Balgowlah roads near Manly Swim Centre.  Investigate lowering the speed limit on Kenneth Rd, but agreement must be reached with the RMS.  Reconfigure the existing zebra crossing on Balgowlah Rd and install road cushions on either side of it, or relocate the crossing 20m south along Balgowlah Rd away from the Kenneth Rd intersection.

​

​“It’s fantastic that Manly is finally getting the attention it deserves,” Good For Manly President and Northern Beaches Council Deputy Mayor Candy Bingham said. 

“This is a very thorough assessment of pavements, intersections, pedestrian crossings and overall pedestrian and cyclist needs in the Manly area.”

Cr Bingham said planned improvements included putting in a new set of traffic lights at the Pittwater Rd and Carlton St intersection; improvements to crossings at North and South Steyne and improving appearance and pedestrian safety in Bower and Rialto lanes.  

The survey also looked at pedestrian safety on Raglan St near St Mary’s School; at the intersection of Darley and Wentworth roads near Manly Public School; and and on Pittwater Rd near Harris Farm Markets. 

The notorious pedestrian crossing between The Corso and the Wharf was another focus.  

“Everybody has seen people taking stupid risks at this intersection,” Cr Bingham said. “People are always running across the road against the lights to get their ferry. It’s amazing no one has been killed there.”

“While the Walk Manly plan has suggested count-down timers to let pedestrians know how long they have to wait before crossing, it looks like this would lengthen overall waiting times for everyone, so I’m not sure it’s the right solution.”  

Cr Bingham said the shared cycle/walk path along the oceanfront also needed more study.  The suggestion is to simply improve line markings on the cycle way, but Cr Bingham said a better solution would be to make it bike only, with pedestrians using the main beachfront promenade.

The total cost of the plan stands at $2,125,000, of which $1.3M is for high-priority work - to be completed within five years. The biggest item is currently $800,000 for a new crossing with traffic lights at the Pittwater Rd/Carlton St intersection, but as Pittwater is a State Road this work will hopefully receive at least 50% in costs from the RMS.  Another $250,000 of the high priority work is maintenance related. 

Pittwater and Belgrave roads were revealed as pedestrian black-spots, with an average of two people injured each year in each location. North Steyne was next with four people injured over six years.  Over the area studied there were, on average, six pedestrian injuries a year. 

“Part of what makes Manly such a great community is that people can walk to where they want to go and interact with other people along the way, which doesn’t happen if everyone is in cars,” Cr Bingham said. 

“I’m delighted that the Council is committed to making Manly even better for walking and cycling.”

​Walking and cycling routes used in the study are shown below.

 A proposal to upgrade The Manly Corso, a new boardwalk at Little Manly, a draft Masterplan for East Esplanade Reserve and approval of the concept Masterplan for Ivanhoe Park (behind Manly Oval) ... it been a busy few months for the new Council!

Little Manly Beach & Boardwalk​
Dec 2017.  This project has been put on hold following community consultation, until a compete Masterplan for the area can be completed mid 2018.

 Under the Administrator, long awaited plans for Little Manly Beach got underway with the first cab off the rank being a proposed new boardwalk linking one side of the area to the other.  Starting at Craig Ave, the proposed boardwalk will run along the beachside to the existing park on the other side.  In addition, a full concept masterplan for Little Manly Beach is expected to be released mid next year for community comment.   You can see the full plans and make a submission regarding the boardwalk here, 

East Esplanade Reserve
A concept Masterplan for one of Manly's most popular reserves, East Esplande, is also currently on public exhibition.  
Dec 2018:  Masterplan approved by Council and work will commence in February 2018.
One of the key issues addressed is the ongoing problem of uncontrolled runoff from East Esplanade across the Park, which then washes large amounts of sediment onto the beach and into the harbour.

Other issues addressed include the need to provide better protection for the trees, and better control over the vegetated areas interfacing with the promenade. 

Manly Corso
Although it's about 12 years since the $10m upgrade of Manly Corso, some believe the area is looking tired, and question whether the plan to make it a thoroughfare was the right one.  Would outdoor dining bring back more life to the area?  What about planter boxes and trees that provide more shade?

A report on initial ideas will be prepared by Council staff over the next three months for consideration.

The Corso as it looks today.  Some question whether the Cabbage Tree palms were a good idea.

Tell Us
What changes, if any, would you like to see to The Corso?