Arden Street Amenities, Coogee

Project update - December 2024: 

The Council endorsed plans at the Ordinary Council Meeting on Tuesday 10 December 2024 to knock down the ageing facilities on Arden Street and replace it with a new building with a curved concrete roof inspired by the Coogee coastline. You can read the minutes from the meeting here (see page 13).

The new building increases the amount of toilet facilities for women, provides both private and communal wash basins as well as a new undercover bus shelter, kiosk and storage facilities for Coogee Surf Life Saving Club and Randwick Council workers. 

Additional feedback from the community has been incorporated into the design including re-orientating the storage area and diverting service vehicle usage away from the grassed area.

The new building features environmental features such as natural lighting and ventilation, energy efficient LED lighting, energy efficient heat pump and construction materials with high recycled content. Council will fund the project by allocating funds over the coming years. Construction is planned to commence in 2027-28.

Randwick Council is planning to upgrade the public amenities, bus shelter and kiosk at Goldstein Reserve on Arden Street, Coogee Beach. 

We have developed two design options for community feedback. 

Option 1: Refurbishment

The refurbishment option involves renovating the buildings and maintaining the existing visual style. 

• Upgraded building retaining the same exterior appearance to match other buildings in the reserve dating from the 1980s and early 1990s
• Similar footprint
• Enhanced interior facilities
• More female toilets
• Retention of separate wash basin areas
• Bus stop seating area on Arden Street almost doubled in size
• Construction cost estimate $4M

Click to enlarge and view all images

Option 2: New build

The new build option proposes demolishing the existing structures and constructing a new, modern building that blends with the surrounding environment and maximises its orientation towards the park and beach.

• New building design inspired by the Coogee coastline with a curved concrete roof connecting the building's three sections
• More female and male toilets
• Communal washbasin
• Lower long term maintenance costs due to more robust materials
• Extended paving for café seating
• Storage area for Council operations and Coogee SLSC Nippers operations and buggies
• Construction cost estimate $6.75M

Click to enlarge and view all images

Key features of both designs: 

• Maintains a bus stop, amenities and kiosk
• Significantly increases the number of female toilets
• Provides high quality fixtures meeting Australian standards and providing an improved experience for the millions of visitors to Coogee each year
• Removes existing showers to make room for more toilets. Note: sufficient showers are located along the beachfront and at the lower promenade amenities

Image: Comparison table of key features

Stage 1 community consultation:

Community consultation undertaken by Council in 2022 found strong support for providing more toilets. People told us that works should be sympathetic to the heritage character of the area, keep a similar community and village feel and not overly expand the building's footprint. Some people said they wanted more opportunities for the building to connect with the nearby park, while others thought the existing building should be retained. Click here to learn more about the outcomes of the consultation.