Northern Beaches Council has been successful in receiving over $3 million in funding from the State Government to rebuild the Warringah Recreation Centre (Cnr of Pittwater and Kentwell Rds, North Manly).

Council is also committing funds to the project which will see almost $5 million invested into the project in partnership with the NSW Office of Sport. The funds will deliver a new multi-sport facility with a minimum of three indoor squash courts and spectator seating, fully accessible public amenities, changerooms, community storage, five new synthetic tennis courts with floodlights, as well as footpaths, bike racks and landscaping.

Northern Beaches Mayor Michael Regan said the grant will help enable the community to enjoy and take part in sport now and into the future.

“A big thank you to the State Government for supporting our local sport infrastructure, which plays a critical role in keeping our community healthy, active, and connected.

“Supporting the delivery of these projects directly supports sport participation across all levels and provide programs for those people in the community that need it most.

“This rejuvenated asset, particularly with accessible amenities, will replace an existing facility that no longer meets the needs of our community and will support the huge growth in sports participation amongst woman and girls.  

“Impressively, we were one of 39 successful applicants out of 83 so it is a real achievement for Council to be successfully awarded this grant,” Mayor Regan said.

The enhanced recreation facility will cater for increased local demand and multi-sport use. Upgrades to the squash courts mean the site can once again cater for Squash NSW competitions, as well as potentially racketball, yoga, and table tennis.

The new facility will be flexible, multi-purpose, intergenerational, and accessible for all. In addition, the rejuvenated tennis courts will support the thriving local tennis community and can be reconfigured to offer a variety of court-based sports.

Separate to this project, as part of wider precinct improvements within District Park, a new golf clubhouse will be constructed, as well as two new public carparks. The clubhouse including all construction, design, and project management will be funded entirely by Warringah Golf Club while Council will fund the construction of the two carparks.

As part of the agreement the projects is expected to commence by July 2023 with construction completed by 31 December 2025.

The funds are made possible from Round 2 of the NSW Governments Office of Sport Multi-Sport Community Facility Fund.