If you’ve been to Bronte Beach lately, you’ve probably noticed plenty happening around the surf club.
The redevelopment of the Bronte Surf Life Saving Club and Community Facilities is taking shape, with construction reaching another important stage.
For local families who regularly visit Bronte Beach, the ocean pool and Bronte Park – or have kids involved in Nippers and surf lifesaving – here’s an update on what’s happening behind the construction fencing.
The New Bronte Surf Club Is Taking Shape
Construction progressed steadily throughout August, with some major parts of the new building now completed.
The Level 1 concrete slab is finished, while the lift core has progressed up to roof level.
Work has also been underway preparing the roof structure, including formwork and reinforcement ahead of the major roof slab concrete pour.
And it’s not just the outside of the building that’s changing.
Work has now started inside, including masonry in the amenities area and the installation of internal building services.
In other words – we’re starting to move beyond just seeing the building structure and towards creating the actual spaces that will eventually be used by the surf club and community.
What’s Happening in September?
September is another busy month for the project.
One of the biggest construction jobs is the roof slab concrete pour, scheduled for 23 September, weather permitting, with 24 and 25 September available as contingency dates.
This particular job may continue outside normal construction hours, so nearby residents may notice additional trucks, deliveries and construction noise around Bronte.
Once the roof work progresses, the focus will increasingly move inside the building.
Upcoming work includes internal wall framing, electrical and hydraulic services, waterproofing in wet areas and continued work on the amenities.
More Work Around the Seawall
There are also a few finishing jobs happening around the seawall.
These include installing tactile indicators, safety treatments on stair treads and completing the final bleacher step.
If Bronte is part of your regular beach walk, these are some of the smaller changes you may notice taking place around the construction area.
What Is Being Built at Bronte?
The project is much more than simply replacing an old surf club building.
The redevelopment will provide new facilities for Bronte Surf Life Saving Club as well as community facilities, creating a modern home for an organisation that plays an important role in keeping one of Sydney’s most popular beaches safe.
The project has been several years in the making.
The revised Development Application for the Bronte Surf Life Saving Club and Community Facilities Project was approved by the Sydney Eastern City Planning Panel in April 2024.
Waverley Council has been working with Bronte Surf Life Saving Club and architects Warren and Mahoney to deliver the redevelopment.
Bronte SLSC also secured $1 million in NSW Government grant funding towards the project.
Why It Matters to Local Families
Bronte is one of those places that becomes part of family life in the Eastern Suburbs.
Summer afternoons at Bronte Pool, picnics in the park, early morning swims, birthday parties, coastal walks and kids running around the playground – not to mention generations of local children participating in Nippers.
The surf club has been part of that community for generations.
While construction inevitably means some disruption in the short term, the redevelopment is creating new surf lifesaving and community facilities that will serve Bronte well into the future.
What Happens Next?
Over the coming months, expect to see more of the work shift from the building’s major concrete structure to what’s happening inside.
Internal walls will begin appearing, electrical and hydraulic services will continue to be installed and waterproofing and amenities work will progress.
For those of us who regularly walk past the site, it should become increasingly easy to imagine what the finished Bronte Surf Life Saving Club will look like.
Bronte Surf Life Saving Club Redevelopment
Where: Bronte Beach, Bronte
Project: Bronte Surf Life Saving Club and Community Facilities
Current stage: Construction and early internal fit-out
DA approved: April 2024
Development Application: DA-455/2022
Locals can follow the latest construction updates through Waverley Council’s Have Your Say project page.
We’ll keep following the Bronte Surf Life Saving Club redevelopment and share further updates as the new community facilities continue to take shape.
