Revised plans for East Coast Marina at Manly Boat Harbour include an upper parking deck, new landscaping and updated noise and drainage measures as the Royal Esplanade redevelopment continues through the assessment.
The latest package was lodged on 11 September after Council issued further advice. As of press time, DA A006949411 has not yet been decided.
The proposal would replace existing marina buildings with new marine industry premises and a Marina Club building containing hospitality, retail, office and club uses. Revised architectural drawings show a ground-floor café, shops, club facilities and five marine industry tenancies, with a food and drink outlet above.
Upper Deck Takes Parking to 149 Spaces
Parking is one of the clearest changes in the latest plans. The revised architectural development table lists 149 proposed parking spaces, compared with 92 spaces identified as required. Civil plans show 49 spaces on a new upper parking deck.
Earlier plans proposed reducing the existing 148-space car park to 118 spaces. Council later sought further justification for the parking arrangement, along with additional traffic and vehicle-access information. Vehicle access remains from Royal Esplanade.
Landscaping Would Screen the Parking Structure
The new upper deck would add built form along the Royal Esplanade frontage, while the revised landscape plan proposes planting to screen the structure from the street.
Trees, shrubs, groundcovers and climbing plants are proposed along the frontage, with climbing vegetation across parts of the carpark façade. The landscape consultant says the treatment is intended to reduce the visual prominence of the parking structure and improve the streetscape.
Established trees would be retained where possible, including the large fig tree growing through the existing waterfront timber deck, subject to separate arboricultural assessment.
Noise Study Includes Nearby Homes
Homes across Royal Esplanade were included in an updated acoustic assessment after Council issued further advice. The study modelled noise from patrons, amplified music, vehicle movements, forklifts and marine workshop activity. A 2.4-metre acoustic barrier forms part of the modelling.
The acoustic consultant predicted compliance with Council’s applicable noise criteria at the assessed residential receivers, provided the recommended treatments and management measures are implemented.
The assessment used operating assumptions including a ground-floor café from 6:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. daily. The first-floor food and drink outlet was assessed until 10:00 p.m. from Sunday to Wednesday and 12:00 a.m. from Thursday to Saturday. Those hours form part of the acoustic assessment and do not amount to Council approval of operating times.
Drainage Also Reworked
The September engineering report found the existing carpark drainage does not meet current design standards and appears unlikely to have enough capacity for the nominated minor storm event.
Proposed works include additional drainage inlets, larger pipes, stormwater treatment devices and a 10-kilolitre rainwater tank. An existing overland flow route would also be retained through the site.
The engineering consultant found the revised drainage arrangement should maintain or slightly improve conditions in the car park and upstream along Royal Esplanade.
Council Assessment Continues
The revised documents follow several rounds of revisions to the marina proposal. The latest plans keep the main mix of marina, hospitality and commercial uses in place while increasing parking and adding further measures for landscaping, noise and stormwater management.
Published 18-Sept-2026