Council to vote on surf club design

A proposal to upgrade Denmark Surf Life Saving Club into a state-of-the-art facility will be presented to the Shire of Denmark council next Tuesday.

Denmark SLSC president Jane Kelsbie said the transformation project was an exciting plan for the club, which was named WA club of the year in June.

Together with PTX Architects, the club has completed a draft design of the proposed new building.

The design includes a tiered grassed public open space and a new two-storey building with rooftop facilities to replace the existing two-storey clubhouse.

“The new club will still be situated at Ocean Beach and the new location will allow for better access for our emergency response team and lifesaving services and create more usable space at the beach for community,” Ms Kelsbie said

Denmark SLSC project leader Wayne Winchester said the club had worked closely with the Shire in the past 18 months to develop the transformation project.

“In close conjunction with the Shire of Denmark and our other key stakeholders, we’ve completed a feasibility study, a business case and concept design drawings for the project,” he said.

“All the key players have been involved in this project to date but we still need to present the design proposal to the council to seek in-principle support before progressing any further. If the project proceeds, we anticipate the majority of the funding to come from State and Federal Government grants.”

Shire chief executive Bill Parker said the club redevelopment had been identified during the Shire strategic community planning process meeting earlier this year.

“The Denmark Surf Life Saving Club will be attending a briefing session on Tuesday, 11th September, 2018 to update council on their project,” he said. “It is anticipated that council will consider an item in September, 2018 to endorse an application made by the Denmark Surf Life Saving Club under the Community Sport and Recreation Facilities Fund.”

The Shire will welcome public comments on the proposed development once the fate of the project is decided at the upcoming meeting.