A petition with 12,500 signatures, calling for the Cronulla Women’s Rest Centre to be rebuilt, has been delivered to Sutherland Shire Council.
The women’s centre, at the top of the mall, was demolished in early August and replaced by a temporary children’s playground to compensate for the removal of the pirate ship facility in Ocean Grove.
The council says the new playground has proved a huge success, but Annette Hogan, a leader of the campaign to have the woman’s centre rebuilt, said the main reason the pirate ship playground was closed was to facilitate a modification to the development application (DA) for the former Commonwealth Bank building.
Ms Hogan said a council briefing for the Chamber of Commerce on June 28 this year showed the women’s rest centre intact.
On July 3, just five days later, a report by council staff to a meeting of the Infrastructure Committee said the pirate ship playground would be removed.
The report said the DA modification included a new awning extending from the development towards and into the play area.
This would make the playground non-compliant with the Australian Standard.
The report said, coupled with this situation, the redevelopment of the square left insufficient space for a new play facility of similar size and the old equipment was 27-years-old and showing significant wear.
“There was never any talk at any of meetings on the draft master plan about the need to demolish a perfectly good and needed women’s rest centre so the play equipment could be moved,” Ms Hogan said.
”I believe the cost of the new playground, which is only temporary, was about $70,000 just for the play equipment,” she said.
“When you add the cost of demolition and the loss of a perfectly sound building, I would say hundreds of thousands of dollars have gone into this project, but for whose benefit?”
Ms Hogan said she was concerned the petition had been placed in the hands of the same council officer who had oversight for the demolition of the rest centre.
“This is a huge conflict of interest,” she said.
“The council should show some transparency and give the job of considering the submissions to an impartial party not involved in any way in planning or carrying out the demolition of the centre.”
A council spokesman said the petition would be considered as part of the community’s feedback on the draft masterplan.
The spokesman said pirate ship playground was 27 years and had reached the end of its serviceable life.
“It’s deteriorating condition and a lack of availability of spare parts were deciding factors in its removal,” the spokesman said.