Warriewood Valley Community Centre Archives

Latest Construction Updates on Warriewood Valley Community Centre

Construction on the Warriewood Valley Community Centre is moving along nicely, with solid progress made over the past few months.

Sitting right in the heart of Warriewood, this project is shaping up to be a proper community hub with spaces for all kinds of activities. The build is still on track to wrap up by late 2025.

How It All Started

Warriewood Valley Community Centre construction site — *Photo Credit: NSW Gov/Warriewood Valley Community Centre*

Work on the Warriewood Valley Community Centre kicked off in April 2024 after the old Nelson Heather Centre was demolished. Groundbreaking followed in the last week of May 2024. Designed by TERROIR Architects and brought to life by Belmadar Pty Ltd, the building makes use of Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT) and Glue-Laminated Timber (GLT). These materials aren’t just strong—they’re sustainable too, making them a smart choice for a modern community space.

Inside Warriewood Valley Community Centre — Photo Credit: *Photo Credit: Gerard Reinmuth/Instagram*

What’s Been Happening Lately

Sustainability at Warriewood Valley Community Centre — *Photo Credit: Gerard Reinmuth/Instagram*

As of December 2024, there’s been a lot of action on-site. Most of the CLT and GLT framework is now in place, and you can really start to see the unique geometry of the building taking shape. Landscaping work is well underway, and they’ve been focusing on getting the foundations and accessibility features locked in.

The centre will include five multi-purpose halls, two meeting rooms, outdoor seating areas, and modern facilities. There’ll also be 78 parking spots, with five of them reserved for accessible parking.

Sustainability at Its Core

This project has always put sustainability right at the forefront, and it is clear when walking through the building, with solar panels, LED energy-efficient lighting, charging stations for electric cars, and a rainwater harvesting system that can hold 2,400 litres of water. To top all this off, they stuck with Australian-sourced timber, which supports local suppliers but also keeps the environmental footprint nice and low.

Warriewood Valley Community Centre architecture — *Photo Credit: Gerard Reinmuth/Instagram*

How the Community Will Benefit

Once finished, the Warriewood Valley Community Centre will offer flexible spaces for everything from events to workshops to casual meetups. The landscaped outdoor areas will add a nice spot for people to gather, relax, and enjoy some greenery.

Future of Warriewood Valley Community Centre — *Photo Credit: Gerard Reinmuth/Instagram*

What’s Next?

Looking ahead, the team will shift focus to internal fit-outs, finishing off the landscaping, and fine-tuning accessibility pathways. Locals can expect more updates by mid-2025 as things start to wrap up.

For all the latest updates, residents can head over to the NBC website or check out community info platforms for regular progress reports.

Published 29-Dec-2024

Construction to Start on Long-Awaited Warriewood Valley Community Centre

After years of planning and consultation, construction on the highly-anticipated Warriewood Valley Community Centre is finally set to commence in April 2024.

Read: New Warriewood Valley Community Centre Takes Shape, Construction Target Announced

The $9.5-million project will replace the ageing Nelson Heather Centre with a modern, multipurpose facility. The existing centre had reached the end of its lifespan and was no longer able to meet the needs of the growing local community. Its demolition cleared the site and will allow work to proceed on the long-awaited replacement facility.

Community consultation on the design took place in 2020, with the final plans being a culmination of years of input from local residents.

Designed by acclaimed architecture firm Terroir, the new centre will feature a striking timber design with exposed blond-coloured wooden beams and skylights to brighten the interior spaces.

Facilities will include five multipurpose halls for sport and recreation activities, two meeting rooms, a community lounge, covered outdoor areas overlooking landscaped gardens, and modern amenities like showers, lockers and flexible kitchen spaces.

Developed to withstand crises, the flexible new building will also have the capacity to switch to an Emergency and Recovery Centre during periods of community emergency, providing a vital resource for Northern Beaches residents when it’s needed most.

Read: New Building (and a New Name!) for Warriewood Aged Care Facility

To make way for construction, temporary fencing will be erected in early April 2024, closing off public access and parking within the site boundary until the project’s expected completion in late 2025. The adjacent sporting fields will remain open during this period.

Complementing the new centre, the Northern Beaches Council is also upgrading Boondah Road and creating a new shared pathway linking to the B-Line stop. Parking will be accessible from Boondah Road, with a loading zone for community buses.

Published 22-March-2024

New Warriewood Valley Community Centre Takes Shape, Construction Target Announced

Photo Credit: NorthernBeachesCouncil

Did you know that Warriewood will soon welcome the long-awaited new Warriewood Valley Community Centre, soon to replace the aging Nelson Heather Centre?

The Ageing Nelson Heather Centre to Make Way for Progress

The Nelson Heather Centre, situated at 5 Jacksons Road, Warriewood, has been a beloved community hub for years. However, due to its deteriorating condition and the need for major remediation works, the decision to replace it with the modern Warriewood Valley Community Centre was made.

Warriewood Residents Association (WRA) President Chris Hornsby emphasised the urgent need for this transformation, explaining that the current building is sinking due to its foundation on unstable ground.

Its original tiled roof was replaced with a tin roof to help lighten the load and avoid tipping. However, the facility was still compromised and posed safety concerns for the local community. The decommissioning of the Nelson Heather Centre is currently underway, with plans to demolish the structure to pave the way for the construction of the new Warriewood Valley Community Centre.

Community Centre with Resilience at its Core

While the project was initially slated to begin this month, construction has been delayed until April 2024, citing cost escalations in the construction industry, per Councillor Ruth Robins, representing Narrabeen Ward.

Nonetheless, the centre will remain fully functional and include a unique feature – a resilience centre. In the event of bushfires or floods, the new facility will serve as an evacuation point, facilitating the work of the evacuation control committee.

The local community has played an active role in shaping the design of the new centre, with the WRA contributing suggestions that were largely incorporated into the final plans. A budget of $10.5 million has been allocated by the Northern Beaches Council for the construction, and the project aims for completion by 2025. This milestone marks the culmination of over 20 years of efforts to bring the project to fruition.

The Warriewood Valley Community Centre project has been integrated into the Warriewood Valley Development Contribution Plan Amendment 16, Revision 3, in response to the increasing demand for public facilities in the Warriewood Valley Release Area. The project’s development has been guided by feedback from residents, facility users, and key stakeholders.

The concept plan for the new facility, exhibited for public comment in August/September 2020, was designed with sustainability principles in mind to create a modern, resilient building with versatile spaces.

The Development Application was lodged in March 2021 and approved by the Sydney North Planning Panel in August 2021.

The council’s resolution on 24 October 2023 solidified the selection of the preferred construction firm, Belmadar Pty Ltd, and marked the project’s transition from planning to construction.

Published 6-Nov-2023