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?

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
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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.
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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
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