By Alan Logan
Architect and Williamstown resident.
With the release of the heritage advice to Hobsons Bay Council regarding the proposed redevelopment of the Williamstown lifesaving club (in The Westsider’s March edition), it is clear that the concerns of many in the community regarding the redevelopment are justified.
Council has had the initial heritage advice since October 2022, with further advice in August 2024, and again in July 2025, and yet has pursued a redevelopment which would have been obvious to them was not in accord with, and did not comply with, its own heritage advice and rules.
The club is located in the Esplanade foreshore heritage precinct. The partial demolition of the historic 1935 clubroom building – as proposed by Council – goes completely against Council’s heritage advice. It is contrary to Council’s heritage policy.
The large and bulky two-storey addition, including an entertainment venue, to the west of the existing building is out of character and will impact the heritage building and the scenic qualities of the area.
The public money – $11 million from the state government and $3 million from the council – should be spent on better public lifesaving facilities, not on a big two-storey fenced-off club with a members-only gym and a new events venue.
That second-storey entertainment venue has nothing to do with lifesaving. There are plenty of function venues in Williamstown, including the football club and motor and yacht clubs just to name a few. The lifesaving club’s existing hall has plenty of space for training and community facilities without the need for a second floor for these uses.
Council’s proposal is an overdevelopment of the site. For example, it proposes to encroach on the public carpark and remove more than 20 car spaces, yet provide no carparking for the proposed entertainment venue.
The proposed patrol room is in a completely inappropriate location – to the south-east of the historic clubrooms, jutting out towards the beach. It would be a blight on the landscape.
That patrol room would take up current open space. It would impact the scenic quality and views from the beach. That part of the site should remain as lawn.
When looking to the west from the Sebastian’s restaurant end of the beach, there is a beautiful vista to the existing lifesaving club, with the three palm trees by the Crystals in the background.
The sunsets are beautiful when viewed from this end of the beach. To insert a completely unnecessary patrol room building into this view will take away something that Williamstown residents and visitors value.
The patrol room does not need to be in that location, as it could easily be incorporated in the main part of the building if it is really required.
The desire for the lifesaving club to expand and gain additional floor space seems to be the driver of the design. An obvious question is, why does the lifesaving club need to expand to such a large extent, and of what benefit to the community is any expansion?
Why is so much storage space required for surfcraft that are rarely used at the beach? Surely storage could be located off site, rather than in a prime beachfront location.
It is obvious that the club needs to be renovated and upgraded from its present state. The club provides a great service to the community, but its core activity is lifesaving not entertainment.
The public interest should take precedence over the club’s interest.
A redesign is necessary to restrict the footprint of the lifesaving club to its current site.
Upgrade the existing heritage building, and have new single-storey additions to the west and north.
Williamstown beach is a beautiful beach. It belongs to everyone, not a private members-only club.
The Williamstown foreshore is largely a public space open reserve which is widely used by the community. There are minimal buildings on the foreshore.
The restoration of the existing club building along with single-storey additions would much better suit the location and provide for better lifesaving club facilities as well as protecting the visual and scenic qualities of the area.
It would be a win for the lifesaving club and the community.
