Waverley Council reveals plans for upgrade works at Sydney’s Bondi Beach

Waverley Council has revealed plans for a $70 million program of upgrades to Sydney’s famous Bondi Beach.

With the future refurbishment of the Bondi Pavilion having been resolved in April after years of debate, the Council has lodged a development application for early works on the plan, worth $8 million around the Pavilion, including the upgrade of the lifeguard tower and new toilet and shower blocks.

Works on the Pavilion are budgeted to cost $26 million.

As reported by the Wentworth Courier, a Council report advises “as visitor numbers to Bondi increase year on year, so the pressure on the Bondi Council Lifeguards to professionally and comfortably perform their critical duties becomes all the greater.

“However, through discussion with council and the lifeguards themselves it quickly became apparent that their current spaces within the Pavilion were inadequate and possibly hampered their ability to respond quickly to issues on the beach in peak season.

“This was mostly due the distance from the sand in terms of physical travel but also visibility.”

The revamp, dubbed the Bondi Blueprint by Waverley Council, was flagged as a way to future-proof the iconic location loved by millions across the country and further afield.

Early works to restore the roof of Bondi Pavilion began on Tuesday 10th September, marking an important step in the progress of the restoration and conservation project.

As identified in the Bondi Pavilion Conservation Management Plan (CMP), a major modification to the Pavilion was the replacement of the original cordova pattern roof tiles with the current grey concrete tiles in the 1980s or 1990s.

The CMP identifies the concrete tiles as being of little heritage significance and calls for the restoration of the original Spanish-style terracotta tiles, dramatically improving the appearance of the Pavilion from all aspects.

Waverley Mayor, John Wakefield, said the early works will focus on the gatehouse at the rear of the Pavilion, stating “these early works will give residents and visitors a taste of the look and feel of what the tiles and colour configuration will look like on the entire roof.”

Images: Artist's impression of Waverley Council's current plans for the upgrade of Bondi Pavilion (top, courtesy of Waverley Council) and the famous stretch of sand (below).