30,000 sign petition against Bondi Beach club proposal
A petition against a plan to create a European-style beach club at Sydney’s Bondi Beach has attracted signatures from 30,000 objectors.
A proposal by entrepreneur Janek Gazecki to create the Amalfi Beach Club near the centre of the landmark beach is currently being considered by Waverley Council deliberates the idea of privatising part of Australia’s iconic landmark.
Gazecki’s plan to see an area of beach sectioned off to accommodate “high net worth” individuals to enjoy cocktails and gourmet food in luxury cabanas, seen as privatisation of public land with objectors slamming the plan as “unAustralian”.
Claiming that, if successful, the plan would mean hundreds fewer people would be able to visit the usually packed spot, the petition reads "on an ordinary pre-COVID day in summer, Bondi is packed to the hilt, with approximately 40,000 people visiting the beach
“So reserving even 2% of the beach space displaces at least 800 from the beach in favour of a handful of the elite who can afford it.”
Gazecki’s plan is for the Amalfi Beach Club to hold up to 100 guests at a time who can choose between the 10 cabanas, four booths or 20 sun lounges.
With an earlier proposal for the beach club having been knocked back in May, Mayor of Waverley, Paula Masselos, says proper process will be followed with regard to a decision on the controversial plan.
She advised “while there are various views on the proposal being aired, anyone has the right to submit a proposal.
“While as a matter of principle, the regulatory and policy settings are geared towards beaches and open spaces being there to be enjoyed freely by everyone, this proposal needs to be properly assessed against those laws and policies so that the appropriate determinations can be made.”
A period of community consultation where residents can submit their views will be included as part of the Council’s assessment process.
Image: Janek Gazecki has plans to introduce a European-style club at Bondi Beach. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Joel Carrett.
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