The Harbord Hotel, formerly known as the Harbord Beach Hotel (or if you want to show your age, the Harbord Hilton), has proposed to develop a 37-room boutique hotel added to the back of the property, along with a swimming pool and a 72-car space basement car park.
This is the third stage of the venue’s refurbishment plans.
The planning proposal is now on public exhibition which will conclude this Sunday, 25 August. However, some residents are stating they weren’t aware of the proposal and are requesting an extension. It is no longer mandated for certain development applications nor planning proposals to be published in local newspapers, given their demise (we have queries about that with Council).
The proposal seeks to amend the current zoning from Low Density Residential to include hotel accommodation.
Harbord Hotel’s plans have been in the works ever since Freshwater locals, Glenn Piper and Lachlan Cottee, bought the Hotel in 2020. The first phase of refurbishments, which opened to the public in December 2020, included the main bar, courtyard and the launch of the Balsa restaurant. In June last year, the owners won a court battle against local objections to allow them to continue with the second phase, which includes opening an upstairs bar and recording studio for local artists. The plan is for this to be open to the public this summer.
As for its third phase for hotel accomodation, well, community reaction is a mixed bag (we’ll get to this soon).
“Since taking on the custodianship of Harbord Hotel in 2020, we’ve been dedicated to preserving its legacy as a proud cornerstone of the community for nearly 100 years,” Glenn Piper said.
“We’ve approached this responsibility with great care, ensuring every improvement is thoughtfully planned and gradually introduced.
“Our ongoing commitment is to not only create a vibrant destination for the local community but also to strengthen the hotel’s role in the Northern Beaches by providing much-needed short-term accommodation, supporting the local economy, and enriching the area’s vitality.
“The pub will remain as it has always been — a home away from home for Freshwater locals — and we’re excited to unveil the new hospitality experience on the second level later this year.”
The Habord Beach Hotel was first established in 1928 and in 1935, with new owners, Tooth & Co, saw 15 hotel rooms added to the pub, so hotel accommodation is nothing new for the venue.
The Yays, Nays, and Why Nots
Incumbent Curl Curl ward councillor Cr Kristyn Glanville, who is running again as the Greens candidate for Curl Curl in the upcoming local government election, says that she has heard mixed opinions of the proposal.
“It’s important for the community to understand that this is very different to a Development Application (DA),” she said.
“This is a proposal to amend our Local Environment Plan (LEP) to allow them an additional permitted use of the site as hotel accommodation.
“There are concept plans for what they’re planning, but these might look quite different when they get down to the DA stage.”
Residents in support of the proposal outline the lack of hotel accommodation on the beaches.
“It’s a fantastic idea,” one resident wrote in their submission.
“We definitely need more accommodation on the lower northern beaches. The only place available around here, other than Manly, is the Travelodge at Brookvale (or whatever it’s called now). I wouldn’t think it would increase noise as it’s accommodation not another hotel.”
“As a Freshwater local with family and friends overseas, I support this application as there are virtually no hotel rooms in Freshwater for them to stay in when visiting,” another local wrote.
“It would be a great addition to our beautiful suburb, a great location for it too! I don’t think it would have much impact on traffic, as visitors don’t always have a car.”
The addition of hotel accommodation in Freshwater also aligns with the Council’s Northern Beaches Local Strategic Planning Statement – Beyond 2040. The strategy is to increase tourism, particularly overnight tourism, that extends beyond the current offerings in Manly and Palm Beach.
The Harbord Hotel team said they regularly receive enquiries from people visiting friends and family looking for nearby accommodation.
“Then there are some residents, who I guess, have pragmatic concerns, issues that would need to be worked through,” Cr Glanville added.
One such suggestion, by a resident, is to include a zebra crossing on Moore Rd, near the Harbord Hotel entry as part of the expansions.
“This would provide a safe crossing point for pedestrians, particularly given the anticipated increase in traffic due to the hotel expansion,” they wrote in their submission.
“Whatever the final DA is, there needs to be enough internal parking, because, as anyone who comes to Freshie in the summer peak knows, parking demand is very, very high, and I assume the hotel accommodation’s use will also be the highest in the summer months,” adds Cr Glanville.
Another resident who spoke to Cr Glanville voiced their concerns over the new sections complementing the heritage façade of the existing building.
Finally, there are the Nays (or in some cases, Hell Nos).
As part of the proposal recommendations by Council, the owners were advised to discuss the hotel accommodation plans with neighbouring property owners and active community groups in the area. However, some residents close to the Harbord Hotel have raised concern that they weren’t notified of the proposal.
“The proprietors have not consulted the local community in any detail. They have appointed their expensive legal teams to squash any objection or appeal without any compromise or listening,” wrote one resident.
“The owners of Harbord Hotel Holdings or any associated representatives have not been in consultation with the neighbouring property owners for consultation, which was one of the council’s strong recommendations as part of this submission. If they had done, they would know that there is serious objection to the proposed development as it is not consistent with the character of the area and the residential nature of the vicinity,” another wrote.
A Manly Observer reader reached out to us after stating they didn’t receive any notification from Council, instead finding out about the proposal from neighbours. They live two doors down from the Habord Hotel, and the proposed development would overlook their backyard, they said.
“Under the current policy, neighbours within a certain radius should be notified of developments,” Cr Glanville explained.
“So, the issue is that the radius Council tends to notify is pretty small, and while this is okay if someone is building a back deck on their property, for bigger developments like the Habord Hotel one, my personal view is that the radius needs to be much bigger.”
Other issues raised in the submissions by residents firmly in the no camp have included:
Current public transport is at maximum capacity and cannot take on visitors, much less serve locals;
The addition of hotel accommodation would only increase the current problem experienced by locals with drunk, noisy and disorderly conduct from patrons (with some residents describing patrons leaving the pub as vomiting and urinating on the footpath);
Street parking and traffic congestion are already a problem, and visitors would only add to that;
Adding hotel accommodation to Freshwater would destroy the laid-back vibe Freshie is so well-known for;
There would be a view loss from Undercliff Road residents and an issue with privacy from hotel rooms who are at eye level with Undercliff Road properties; and,
Height of the hotel accommodation would cause overshadowing of neighbouring properties.
Residents have reached out to James Griffin MP to raise their concerns and request he seek an extension to the submission deadline. The Office has confirmed to Manly Observer that earlier this week they wrote to Council to request an extension to the deadline to be able to give residents who weren’t aware of the proposal a chance to raise their concerns of the proposed development.
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