More ‘Glama’ For Tamarama

By Duncan Horscroft on September 5, 2013 in News

Photo: Waverley Council

The old kiosk site will be turned into a storage area for both the surf club and Waverley lifeguards, and the old amenities block on the southern side will become a showpiece with a brand new kiosk as well as new toilet and changing facilities.

Tamarama Surf Club president Bill Shires said the primary objective of the new-look surf club was to comply with OH&S guidelines and make it easier for patrolling members to access gear such as rescue equipment without having to carry it down stairs and risk injury doing so.

“It’s really good news for us (the DA approval) and now we can get down to the serious business of raising the necessary funds to get the club up to scratch,” Shire said.

“We will be getting around $700,000 from Waverley Council, but we need to raise at least another $3 million from grants and donations to complete the project.

“We are only a small club with 400 members, 100 of whom are active patrolling surf lifesavers, but our primary objective is surf lifesaving.”

He said the club does not want to be another North Bondi Surf Club, but hopes the provision of a new function hall will inject funds to help with the running of the club.

“It costs around $100,000 a year to run the club and hopefully money raised from renting out the new hall for functions can help offset this cost,” Shires said.

“It’s been a hard slog and the approval of the DA is a great result for the club and for the community.”

Included in the landscape plans for Tamarama Park is a new bicycle parking area, water drinking facilities, more seating, rubbish recycling stations and the planting of new trees and shrubs.

There will also be access for the disabled, with new mobility parking and an access path to the kiosk and amenities building, and to the picnic shelter. Access through the park and to the beach will be improved with a new pedestrian path.

“Council spent a lot of time investigating what would be the best location for the kiosk,” a Waverley Council spokesperson said.

“In the end, the south side was chosen for reasons including better separation of pedestrians and cafe patrons from delivery vehicles.”

The Tamarama Park facelift, which began in May, is scheduled to for completion by October, while the surf club makeover will begin when the necessary funds are raised.

“Our major hurdle was to get the DA approved and now that is done we can concentrate on attracting sponsors and getting grants,” Shires said.

“The first 30 to 40 per cent is always the trickiest, but we are hoping to get moving on the new club within the next two years.”