Royal Far West Redevelopment Plans

​Royal Far West's multi-million redevelopment of its Manly oceanfront site is one step closer, with updated concept plans now on display.  

Project leader Lindsay Cane said the changes, which are the result of community feedback, make the new buildings less bulky, open up the site for public access and remove the proposed hotel. 

The children's health charity says it needs to redevelop and capitalise its site in order to meet the growing need for health services for kids in rural and regional Australia.  As well, its an opportunity to open the campus up to the local community, including potentially providing health and wellbeing services for locals as well as country kids. 

The original concept plan for the site, which was approved in 2013, has been modified by leading Australian architects, Glenn Murcutt AO and Angelo Candalepas.

The new plans include;

• A 5 storey building on the South Steyne frontage to house private leasehold apartments, with a glass ground floor to create the effect that the building is 'floating'. 
• A 12-14m wide boulevard on the northeast corner, running behind the 5 story building. This will be a space for the public to use, including as a location for market stalls. 
• An 8 storey building behind the boulevard, which will include private leasehold apartments, commercial spaces, plus some space retained for Royal Far West services. The existing shared office space operator WOTSO may be able to stay on site.
• Drummond House, on the Wentworth St frontage, will be significantly modified to better house country children and their families.  The facade and front of the building will be retained, and more suitable family accomodation will be built behind around an internal courtyard and play area. 
• An enlarged basement car park.

The controversial 165-room hotel is scrapped from the modified plan, but instead there are 12 more apartments, bringing the total to 58. 
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Ms Cain said the redeveloped building plan would have more open view lines, plenty of landscaping and greenery and was designed to make Manly "proud".  ​

Artists impression of development viewed from Wentworth St.

The new plans have been on public display during August.  If they are approved by the Department of Planning, more detailed plans will be submitted in a Development Application to Northern Beaches Council by the end of the year. The detailed plans will again be put on public exhibition. Finally, if the plans pass the Regional Planning Panel - the final consent authority - work could start in the second half of next year. ​