Clubhouse Development

Stage 2A - Completed

Our DA is for a two story structure featuring a large deck. However, estimated pricing at the time was about a $2 million build and we did not have sufficient funds to complete the entire build. We did have enough money to build the ground floor extension, known as Stage 2A.

The Stage 2A build started on November 16th 2015 and was completed in August 2016, just in time for the club to operate out of the new facility for the 2016/17 surf lifesaving season.  The new facility has allowed all the club's rescue equipment to be stored in one location for the first time since the club was formed in 2004.

The club was successful in securing a 1 million dollar ($1,000,000) Infrastructure Grant from the Federal Government.  The Deed of Agreement was signed in May 2017, which enables the club to commit to begin construction of the upper level of the clubhouse, known as Stage 2B.  We have also been successful in our application for additional funding from the Surf Club Facility Grant Program.  These grants, plus a 10-year $200,000 loan from Tweed Shire Council, and club fundraising will allow the clubhouse to be fully finished during Stage 2B.

The Costs Involved

The contract price for the ground level Stage 2A build was $717,039.09 (ex GST). Remember that this is a commercial build and the requirements are beyond those normally required for domestic housing. A significant component of the cost has been in the suspended slab which required 17 screw piers driven 10-12m into the ground and a large amount of concrete (there was 113 cubic metres of concrete just in the footings and beams under the slab).

Stage 2B has been costed at approximately $1.6M, which will be funded mainly from the Federal Government Infrastructure grant of $1M, plus contributions  from Surf Club Facilities Grant, a $200K loan from Tweed Shire Council, and fundraising efforts from club members over the last 13 years.

Over the past years there have been many costs outside of the contracted build prices. Since 2010 approximately $90,000 has been spent on these extra costs which include consultant fees, DA & S96 submission and other Council fees, soil testing, surveys, services location, and even container hire to store lifesaving equipment while we build.  Another significant cost was the relocation of a mains electrical pillar.

The Time Taken

Some members question why its taken so long to get here. The answers are simple:

1. Money

We don’t have unlimited funds. What we do have is the result of simple hard graft by a relatively small number of members and key sponsors. It’s a combination of running fund raising barbies, end of month raffles at Saltbar, continually applying for small grants for lifesaving equipment, maintaining and repairing equipment ourselves as much as possible, and a great source of annual funds from the Sportsman’s Lunch run by Saltbar. While the $305,000 we received from the facilities grant was key, please note that club funds are contributing just as much. The amount of club funds raised is an outstanding achievement for a small regional club that only started in 2004. We always appreciate more members helping out. Even a little bit of time can make a difference. If you wish to help out contact the Secretary (secretary@saltsurfclub.com.au) who will put you in contact with the right person.

2. Time

Most surf clubs are run and maintained by volunteer members who typically hold down full time jobs. Members volunteer their time to do lifesaving patrols or assist the club in other ways. In addition, some committee members and other club officials spend an enormous amount of extra time on club administration. Its amazing just how extensive and complex the administration is of a small regional club with some 200 members just to maintain compliance with various SLSA, SLSNSW, and other regulations and procedures. To add on top of that the time required to develop plans, raise funds, and project manage a commercial build and its easy to see why significant club projects don’t happen overnight.

3. Compliance

The club belongs to the members, with the committee delegates and other club officials represent the members. All important decisions are voted on by the committee following a recommendation from the building sub-committee. This takes much more time than if you own the building and can make the decision without reference to other “co-owners”. Even for less important items all decisions are sent to a committee for review. As one very small and isolated example, one of us spent almost an entire day reviewing various elevator options to ensure we had the best one available and then discussing same with the building sub-committee, architect, and builder. Nothing happens quickly when committees are involved. The flip side is that the club can hold its head high knowing that we have delivered the best possible result for the club as all decisions were properly thought through and are well documented.

4. Council oversight

Following issues with another surf club building project, Council decided to have greater oversight on community developments starting with Salt! Obviously our DA, S96, and Construction Certificate applications had to follow normal due process in Council but beyond that Council was particularly interested to make sure we showed good financial management and that builder selection also followed due process. We ticked all the boxes that Council asked of us. Having regular meetings with Council, keeping Council informed, and providing progress reports all took extra time. However, it also gave us confidence that we were following correct procedure and it gave Council confidence that the developer funds they contributed were being used appropriately.

5. Stormwater pipe

We wanted to maximise the footprint of the club and expand seaward right up to the then version of the 2100 erosion line. To do that meant that we would have to build over a large 1.65m diameter stormwater pipe located a few metres landward of the erosion line and several metres below the surface. In the DA approval and more clearly in subsequent meetings, Council made it clear that they do not normally allow construction over a stormwater pipe. Given our determination to maximise the club footprint we asked our consulting engineer Rod Prove to explore options which would maintain a low loading over the pipe. Rod suggested we support the building on screw piers set back a minimum 1 metre clear of the pipe. In addition we also obtained the support of the person who designed the stormwater system at Salt Village, Dr Trevor Johnson. Council gave conditional approval for this approach which required that Rod draw up proper engineering documentation and the Scott incorporate these into the architectural drawings. We also had to contract a surveyor to accurately locate the pipe. All this took a significant amount of time but it was worth it.

All the consultants in Table 1 have each contributed time and effort to the club beyond that for which we paid. We thank them all. In particular, Scott Carpenter the architect must be singled out for the many many hours of work he has done pro bono.

Development Approval History

The restrictive conditions applied to the Development Approval were formulated by Tweed Shire Council

Condition 5 - first appeared in DA13/0119 which was approved on 23rd September 2013

Public access to the development (except the ground floor kiosk and public amenities) is not permitted. The north deck and public surf surveillance deck as shown on the plans are not to provide public access into any of the first floor facilities. The deck in both these areas is to be constructed so as to physically prevent public access (except for members) into this part of the facility (by permanent screen or similar).

This condition was expanded to become further restrictive via Condition 5A in DA13/0119.03 (Approved December 2017)

<includes previous condition 5 text plus>... To this extent all facilities within the first floor of the club (including function rooms, bar areas and food and drink service) are to be restricted to the general public and shall not be used for private commercial venture by way of sublet or public hire. The use of the first floor of the club is approved by Council for members and club activity use only. No public hire or casual leasing of the approved first floor functions rooms is to occur at any time.

Even more DA conditions were applied to DA13/0119.03 (Approved December 2017)

• 1.3 - No commercial sublet arrangements are permitted for any part of the building. The building and associated function areas including the kiosk are to be wholly managed and staffed by Salt Surf lifesaving members.
• 1.4 - No outdoor dining/tables are permitted in the foreground of the kiosk
• 1.5 - No temporary, casual or social club membership is permitted to be granted on site or at the entry door to the club. No temporary means of public access to the building for the purposes of food and drink services is to be granted at any time.

The club received Landowner's Consent via unanimous vote from elected councillors at the TSC meeting of 5/12/2019 to submit a Development Application to permit ancillary uses such as function, events and conferences by private and community groups. 

The electical upgrade was completed in Dec 2021, which included commission of the air conditioning units, and was funded by a grant application through the NSW Government.

A new DA application (DA22/0323) was submitted in April 2022 to align with the pre-approved Landowners Consent granting us the ability to host ancillary functions, events and conferences by private and community groups.  Due to pressure from vested interest groups, TSC subsequently asked the club to withdraw the DA in mid-2023 while they explored other options to re-zone the land to permit other uses which are not ancillary.

The club has been required to produce various reports to accompany the DA submissions, at our own expense. The noise and car-parking assessments were completed in late 2021, and refreshed in 2024. As a not-for-profit charity, this money could have been better spent on lifesaving services. It would be nice if the club was permitted to undertake some cost-recovery activities through its clubhouse, like all the other surf clubs are able to do.

The rezoning intention has been approved by the relevant NSW State Authority. The club received unanimous support from TSC on 1st August 2024 to proceed with re-zoning of the clubhouse land to enable the lodgement of a new DA. The rezoning request is now proceeding to NSW Parliament for approval.  More to come.

The specific details regarding the DA can be veiwed through the TSC Development Application search feature.

Table 1: Key Consultants, Contractors, and Funders

Table 2: Key Milestones

Building Sub-Committee:

• 2018/19 - Rob Blyth, Greg Lovett, Ben Clements
• 2017/18 - Rob Slade, Ben Clements, Greg Lovett, Rob Blyth
• 2016/17 - Rob Slade, Ben Clements, Greg Lovett
• 2015/16 - Rob Slade, David Rope, Mark Humphries, Kevin Pleace

Previous committees:

• Much preparation work was done by previous committees. In particular Dave Hoare, a past President and also a Life Member of Salt SLSC, did much of the early work leading up to and including the DA submission.