Australia’s best beach could soon be home to a new icon, with Northern Beaches Council endorsing a plan at its meeting last night to design a new Manly Life Saving Club building.

Northern Beaches Mayor Michael Regan said Manly was already one of Australia’s most iconic beaches, and now it needed a life saving club befitting the spectacular location.

“Council is already progressing upgrades to Mona Vale SLSC and Long Reef SLSC thanks to funds made available under the Council merger and recent state government grants.

“It is clear that the renewal of the Manly LSC building is the next highest priority, based on an assessment of all the Life Saving Clubs under Council’s care and control.

A recent report commissioned by Council on the state of the Manly building found it was in “fair to poor” condition.

“If the current building is to be retained for future occupancy, remedial works would need to be carried out,” the report found.

Council officers have been meeting with Club representatives to work through issues facing the current building and future needs.

“Council has asked staff to establish a community working group to work with Council and the Club. It has also asked that provision be made in the 2019/20 budget to kick off the project design, and that a business case be brought back to Council,” Mayor Regan said.

It is proposed that a project to rebuild this building would be subject to a robust community consultation process, involving three stages of engagement and the formation of a working group made up of key stakeholders and community members.

Manly Life Saving Club, located at the southern end of Manly Beach was established in 1903 and is one of the oldest surf clubs in Australia. The current building was constructed in 1982, with a deck extension added in 2013. A partial upgrade of member’s amenity areas on the ground floor was carried out in 2014.