There is plenty of work going on across the area, with some great new community infrastructure almost complete or well underway.

A brand new park at Brick Pit Reserve in Frenchs Forest is nearly ready to open. Complete with a playground, boardwalk through the trees and other facilities, the new park provides an opportunity for current and future residents of the town centre and Northern Beaches Hospital patients and their families to play and relax in a revitalised natural setting. In addition, a favourite playground at Dee Why Beach will soon be reopened after a major upgrade, offering fantastic facilities for local families.

Council has begun work on the new section of boardwalk connecting South Curl Curl Beach to Fisherman’s Walk, adding a link that enables walkers to avoid the busy car park on this popular path.

The new sporting amenities and facilities at Pittwater Rugby Park and Frank Gray Reserve at North Curl Curl are both expected to open later this year. Work has also commenced on the renewal of Aquatic Reserve, which, despite the rain, is still expected to be completed in time for the summer baseball season.

Preparatory work is underway for new squash and tennis facilities at North Manly, part of the broader plan to upgrade this area into a state-of-the-art sporting hub alongside the new golf clubhouse and gymnastics centre.

And the Warriewood Community Centre now has the roof on and is almost ready for fit out, with the corresponding road upgrade in the pipeline.

The upgrade on the Manly to Spit Walk is half-way through, with phase 1 reopening this week and phase 2 starting after the long weekend. And a major lighting upgrade for Manly Boy Charlton Aquatic Centre is due to start next month.

We’ll keep the community posted on all these important projects - stay tuned.

Finally, in good news this week, the NSW Government listened to our advocacy and announced they will continue to fund their Beachwatch program. They had previously said they’d be asking local councils to help pick up the tab to keep locals informed on beach water quality. Great to see common sense prevail.

Have a lovely and safe long weekend, don’t forget there are double demerits in force.

Mayor Sue Heins

This week we launched a fantastic new winter event, Rise Manly, offering 10 days of music, food and activities.

From 20–29 June, Manly’s shops, restaurants, bars, cafés, fitness and wellness businesses will offer an array of special events and experiences. The Corso and laneways will be buzzing with live street performances, light installations, artworks and more. Plus there's a European ski village complete with an inflatable igloo, an ice cold classic swim and plenty of delicious food options to choose from.

Check out the Rise Manly program, support your local businesses and start planning your visit now.

Congratulations to all the finalists in the 2025 Northern Beaches Environmental Art and Design Prize. No doubt it was a tough job for the judges to select 191 works from over 700 entries submitted. You'll get to view their works at art spaces across the Beaches in August – stay tuned for details.

There are several projects across the Northern Beaches currently out for community feedback and I encourage you to have your say. Those living in and around our town centres may be particularly interested in the proposed amendments to development control plans.

These have been proposed in response to the NSW Government housing reforms which allow more density and higher developments without appropriate controls for things like heritage, landscaping and set backs.

You can also review and give feedback on a new plan for Seaforth Oval, the draft Climate Change Policy, a policy for memorials and some additional accessible parking at Bilgola Beach. Register to follow specific projects and receive updates when key decisions are being made. We value all the input you provide – it improves our projects and service delivery.

Have a great weekend,

Mayor Sue Heins

It’s Volunteer Week! Australia has a huge volunteer community – over 14 million people giving 3.2 billion hours to help others. On the Northern Beaches, we’re lucky to have so many people supporting local charities, community, sporting and environmental groups, and essential services.

Here at Council, more than 900 volunteers contribute to 13 different programs. They deliver library books, restore our natural bushland, maintain cemetery gardens or assist visitors to enjoy the local area. A huge thank you to you, and all volunteers on the Northern Beaches, for all that you do.

The upcoming National Sorry Day, Reconciliation Week and Gai-mariagal Festival provide an opportunity to acknowledge and remember the Stolen Generation, celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island culture and significance and learn how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia.

Locally, you can join an Aboriginal Heritage Talk, weaving workshop or bushtucker tasting. We’ve had a great response to these events so far so get in quickly or join the waitlist if the event you want to attend is already booked out.

Finally, a shout out to the incredible young people who spoke at Have Your Say Day 2025 – a youth led initiative supported by Council and local youth services at NBSC Freshwater Senior Campus. Eighteen leaders from across the Northern Beaches came together and spoke to 8 issues identified in a comprehensive survey of over 2000+ local young people. It was an inspiring and thought-provoking event and I am constantly impressed to see the breadth of talent on display in our local young people.

Have a good weekend – stay dry! Here's hoping flood conditions on the mid north coast start to ease soon and our area has seen the worst of it.

Mayor Sue Heins

The Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) today approved a Special Variation to Northern Beaches Council rates, providing the opportunity to secure long term financial sustainability, maintain community infrastructure and support the continuation of quality services. 

IPART acknowledged the critical need to address the shortfall in Council’s budget caused by high inflation and increasing costs and approved the first two years of our three year proposal.  

The approval gives us the opportunity to achieve what we set out to do - secure financial stability. We can now confidently move forward to invest in the maintenance of the core infrastructure our community value. 

This has been a tough conversation to have with our community in this economic climate and I thank everyone who provided input to Council or IPART along the way.

You can read Council's media release or read the full IPART report.

It was with great sadness that we learned of the passing of David Hay MBE last weekend.

David will be remembered for his passion and commitment to Manly and lifetime of public service. He served an incredible 23 years as an alderman of Manly Municipal Council, including six terms as Mayor and eight as Deputy Mayor. He represented the people of

Manly in state parliament too, and for a time was Minister for Local Government and Minister for Planning.  

David was an extraordinary man and will be very much missed by many. Our thoughts are with his family, his friends and so many in the community at this very sad time.

Also of note this week - the NSW Government released their response to the parliamentary inquiry into e-bikes and e-scooters. 

It’s great they listened to some of our key concerns and are moving to clarify rules and commit to education and safety campaigns.

However I believe this was a missed opportunity to not implement new speed limits on e-bikes on footpaths. The rule that allows a 12-year-old on a fat bike to ride at the same speed on the footpath as on the road next to it is an obvious safety risk for pedestrians and still an issue.  

I remain concerned about enforcement with the Government response lacking detail on how Transport for NSW and NSW Police will work to improve enforcing the regulations. 

We will continue our advocacy on these key safety issues.

Have a great weekend, 

Mayor Sue Heins

Last week I attended the launch of the Resilient Sydney Strategy 2025–2030 – an initiative bringing 33 councils together to coordinate on efforts to tackle climate risks, infrastructure challenges and community resilience. While each council tailors its approach to local risks, the coordinated strategy ensures Sydney as a whole is better equipped to handle heatwaves, floods and other extreme events. The strategy also prioritises community participation, with local government, residents, businesses and emergency services all playing a critical role.

Time is running out to submit your entry for the Northern Beaches Environmental Art & Design Prize with entries closing Monday 19 May. This is a fantastic opportunity for artists and designers across Australia to showcase their work on environmental themes. With a prize pool across multiple categories, including art, design and young artists it’s also a chance to have your work exhibited locally.

In good news for AFL players this week, AFL NSW have awarded $61,000 in grants to support the upgrade of AFL facilities at North Narrabeen Reserve and Frank Gray Oval. Council was pleased to work with the Wolves and the Tigers to get this great outcome.

Finally, a shout out to the Sydney Northern Beaches Breakers 16 and under water polo team for taking home the top trophy at the Australian Youth Water Polo Championships in Perth during the school holidays. Another example of the incredibly talented young sportspeople we have here on the Northern Beaches. Congratulations for such a fantastic achievement.

And wishing a very happy Mother's Day to all the mums and grandmothers for Sunday.

Mayor Sue Heins

Our beaches and coastline have certainly copped a battering over the last month with huge swells and high tides across the Easter break, followed by a band of persistent rain and 2-3m swells this week.

As a result, most of our beaches are experiencing significant levels of erosion as sand is collected by the waves and deposited offshore. While causing some inconvenience for beach goers, this sand movement is part of a natural cyclical process and the sand will naturally move back onto the beaches over the coming weeks as conditions allow.

In the meantime, it’s a timely reminder to be extra careful if walking or fishing on rock platforms or promenades, such as Marine Parade and at Dee Why Beach, where waves can be dangerously unpredictable.

On a lighter note, huge congratulations to all the winners of the Northern Composure Unplugged acoustic music competition last week. We are lucky to have such great young talent here on the Northern Beaches. Check out the winners of each age group and category.

A reminder that Mother's Day is Sunday week. If you are looking for last minute gift ideas, look no further than your local boutique, restaurant, florist or experience. You’ll not only come away with something unique for Mum or Grandma but you’ll also be supporting a local small business.

And finally, it’s voting day tomorrow. Find your nearest polling place and support our local fundraisers by grabbing yourself a democracy sausage or homemade cake while you’re there.

Have a great weekend,

Mayor Sue Heins

This week, our thoughts turn towards reflection and remembrance as we prepare to commemorate Anzac Day. Council is hosting services at both the Manly War Memorial in the Corso at Manly and a dawn service delivered in conjunction with the Manly Warringah Memorial Park Trust at Manly Dam. These services complement the many services and marches being hosted by RSL branches and community groups across the area. I encourage you to find an Anzac Day march or service near you and participate in recognising past and current armed services personnel.

As the summer season draws to a close, I want to extend a huge thank you to all of those who have kept our beaches safe over the summer period, both professional lifeguards and volunteer lifesavers. They have worked tirelessly watching over beachgoers all summer. This weekend is the last weekend of patrols for most beaches. Freshwater and Dee Why will continue to be patrolled until the end of May whilst Manly has a lifeguard service year-round.

This summer Council's lifeguards were involved in over 300,000 preventative actions largely directing swimmers between the flags, keeping beachgoers away from rips and board riders clear of the flags. Meaning that from well over 12 million visits only 1,250 rescues were needed. Last weekend, we saw some incredibly large swells and dangerous conditions making for a busy close to the season. Their swift action in challenging circumstances is a testament to their skill and commitment, and we are truly grateful for the service they provide.

After this long weekend Council is beginning urgently needed repair work to the Manly Scenic Walkway, starting at the Castle Rock boardwalk. This will involve some closures and detours whilst we maintain and enhance this much loved local favourite. If you are planning to use the track, please plan ahead and follow the signs onsite. You will find details of the closures and detours on the Manly Scenic Walkway page.

Another great way to enjoy our beautiful natural environment is to help maintain it. If you have some spare time this Saturday you can participate in planting native coastal species on the dunes at North Curl Curl to help stabilise the beach. I do hope you will consider taking part.

Have a great long weekend,

Mayor Sue Heins

I have written in these messages before about the NSW Government's proposed changes to the Permit Parking Guidelines. After meeting with the NSW Minister for Transport to review the draft guidelines it became clear that the proposals would erode Council's ability to manage parking at our busy beaches and balance the needs of local residents and businesses with those of visitors.

At Tuesday's meeting Council resolved to write to the NSW Minister for Transport to oppose the draft changes to the Permit Parking Guidelines, seek a clear justification for the changes and understand what funding will be made available to Council should we be subject to a broad 'one-size-fits-all' state policy. We will ask that Northern Beaches Council continue to have the autonomy to manage local parking demand as it has done since amalgamation.

The changes as currently proposed cost the NSW State Government nothing but would saddle Northern Beaches rate payers with a cost of more than half a million dollars, an additional strain not currently allowed for in our budget or strategic plans.

Our strategic plans and budgets need to be updated regularly to ensure that the key documents that define what Council does and where we spend money match up with the priorities and aspirations of the whole of the Northern Beaches community. Also at Tuesday's Council meeting these documents, the Draft Community Strategic plan, the Delivery Program and 2025 Budget were put on exhibition for community feedback. Some highlights include:

• $25.3 million improving road assets which includes $9.5 million for resurfacing roads
• $14.9 million on priority stormwater management works to reduce flooding and pollution
• $3.4 million on town and village centres including works at Church Point
• $3.2 million on new and improved footpaths across 23 suburbs
• A Productivity Journey and Improvement Plan that commits Council to achieving ongoing operational savings totalling $5 million in the next three years, and one-off capital savings totalling $10 million in the next five years.

I encourage everyone who lives and works in the area to review these plans on Your Say Northern Beaches to ensure they align with your vision for our area into the future.

For those of us staying on the beaches for the long weekend I hope to see you at one of the many community events this weekend or perhaps chasing down the Easter Bunny on our Hop & Seek family trail! If you are going away please stay safe on what may be a very busy weekend on the roads.

I'd like to wish everyone a very happy Easter.

Mayor Sue Heins

This week we're thrilled to congratulate Steven Curtis, our People’s Choice Award winner from the Out Front 2025 exhibition. For 31 years Manly Art Gallery & Museum has been hosting this incredible showcase of selected HSC art works. It's such an honour to celebrate the amazing talents of our young local artists and a big thank you to all the 1,200 people who cast their votes to make this event extra special.

For even more creative inspiration, head over to Manly Library for the 2025 Artists' Book Award Exhibition. You can immerse yourself in this year's 46 finalists, flipping through their brilliant creations. You’ll also find a treasure trove of past acquisitions—over 100 artists' books in the Library Catalogue. Let the creativity flow and join one of our art classes held throughout April and May.

As the school holidays approach, coinciding with Youth Week we’re excited to offer a fantastic range of activities for young people. From our school holiday survival guide to the vacation care program available this Easter, there’s something for everyone to enjoy.

Finally, don't forget, nominations for the Local Business Awards close at the end of the month. Council is very proud to sponsor the Business Sustainability Award and the Disability Inclusion Award – so get your votes in and help your favourite local businesses get the recognition they deserve.

Let’s keep celebrating creativity and community together.

Mayor Sue Heins