A development application lodged in January 2026 proposes demolishing the existing buildings at the East Coast Marina at 576 Royal Esplanade, Manly, and replacing them with a new two-storey clubhouse, restaurant, café, retail shops and marine industry workshops overlooking Moreton Bay.
Architect Reid Campbell designed the proposal, with planning consultants Willowtree Planning lodging the application on behalf of MA Marina Fund. The development covers the south-eastern portion of the site and delivers 1,239 square metres of new floor space across two purpose-built buildings. The development application reference is A006949411.
East Coast Marina is the only privately owned facility within the 1,800-berth Manly Boat Harbour, located 20 kilometres from Brisbane’s CBD. MA Marina Fund, part of alternative asset manager MA Financial, acquired the site in February 2024 for $33 million, cementing its position as the largest marina group in the southern hemisphere. The site, which occupies more than 5.6 hectares of state leases along Moreton Bay, had been in the same hands for more than four decades before that sale. The marina controls 330 berths and dry storage for 240 vessels, alongside a full-service boatyard and a range of commercial tenancies.
What the Proposal Involves
The application proposes demolishing two existing brick marina buildings and the current 148-space car park, replacing them with two new structures. The first is a two-storey club, café and retail building rising to 8.5 metres. A club lounge and café occupy the ground floor, with an ancillary restaurant on the upper level. Large windows along the north and east elevations face the harbour, and an external walkway separates the ground floor tenancies to provide pedestrian connectivity throughout the development. The upper-floor restaurant is accessible via lower-level staircase entries.
The second building houses five marine industry workshop tenancies, with glass shopfronts on the western elevation and large roller doors on the eastern side for vessel access. Precast concrete panels and vertical metal sheeting form the exterior, consistent with an industrial character while remaining in keeping with the broader site.
The proposed uses across the 1,239 square metre total floor area include 404 square metres of club space, 214 square metres of food and drink outlet, 243 square metres across five retail tenancies, and 378 square metres across five marine industry workshop tenancies. Finished floor levels sit at 3.1 metres AHD, addressing flood planning levels to 2100. Existing boat stacks are not affected by the proposal.
The 148-space car park reduces to 118 spaces under the proposal, including two accessible bays, with vehicle access continuing via the existing service road and T-intersection at Royal Esplanade. A traffic report by Bitzios Consulting noted that a survey conducted in July 2025 found the existing car park was underused during typical weekday and standard operating periods.
Community Feedback: Parking Emerges as the Central Issue
The development application attracted public submissions during its consultation period, with parking emerging as the dominant concern shared by both supporters and opponents of the proposal.
One marina user submitted support for the development in principle but raised concerns about the existing parking situation on weekends and during holiday periods. That submission described the current car park as already overwhelmed on its busiest days, with overflow vehicles spilling onto local streets and the adjacent public boat ramp facility. The submitter argued that on-site parking needed to increase rather than decrease to protect both the local streetscape and nearby public facilities from additional pressure.
A separate submission opposed the development solely on parking grounds, noting that weekends and holidays already fill the existing spaces and that expanding the marina’s dining, retail and club activity would only intensify that demand. That submitter indicated they would oppose the development unless the parking supply increased.
Both submissions draw from the same concern: the marina’s busiest periods already push beyond the capacity of the current 148 spaces, and reducing that figure to 118 while increasing the scale of activity on the site creates a genuine risk of worsening conditions for residents, road users and users of the nearby public boat ramp.
A Site With a Long History in Manly Harbour
East Coast Marina has served Brisbane boaties since 1980, becoming the first marina in Queensland to gain Clean Marina Status in 2006. The site sits between the Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron and Wynnum Manly Yacht Club within a harbour that also hosts Manly Harbour Boat Club, and operates under state leases across its 5.6-hectare waterfront holding.
Since the 2024 acquisition, the marina has operated under the d’Albora brand as part of the MA Marina Fund network. Current on-site services include boat maintenance and detailing, marine engineering and electrical trades, a café, a yacht training centre and boat sales through the d’Albora Yacht Brokers network. That mix of active commercial tenancies gives the redevelopment proposal a clear operational context, replacing ageing buildings with purpose-designed facilities suited to a working marina serving Moreton Bay.
How to View or Comment on the Application
The development application A006949411 is publicly accessible through the development application portal. It contains the full plans, traffic report, consultant documentation and all submitted public submissions. Enquiries about the application can be directed to planning consultants Willowtree Planning at willowtreeplanning.com.au or architect Reid Campbell at reidcampbell.com.
Published 2-March-2026.
