Surf Club to benefit from Port Douglas Lagoon
PROPOSED LAGOON
The Port Douglas Surf Life Saving Club has endorsed the development of the proposed Port Douglas lagoon which is set to include a complete overhaul of the club’s facilities.
The land earmarked for the lagoon is the site of the current Surf Life Saving Club and the land surrounding it.
This will see the current club facilities demolished and a brand-new two-storey facility built around the lagoon design.
RELATED:
- STILL EARLY DAYS AS LAGOON CONCEPT PRESENTED TO COMMUNITY
- DESIGNER TO PRESENT VISION FOR PROPOSED PORT DOUGLAS LAGOON
- CONSIDERATION AND MODERATION NEEDED FOR PROPOSED LAGOON
- LEADING LOCAL ARCHITECT QUESTIONS LOCATION OF PROPOSED LAGOON
Council has indicated the lagoon project is likely to be constructed in four stages as outlined in the above image, with the Surf Club redevelopment set for stage three.
In the current proposal, stage one will include a zero-depth water park; children’s area with a slide, waterspouts, and play equipment.
Stage two involves the restoration and re-vegetation of the storm drain adjacent to the lagoon, particularly to provide a natural looking barrier to prevent crocodiles from entering the precinct.
Stage three is the construction of the new Port Douglas Surf Life Saving Clubhouse and associated facilities.
Lastly, stage four will see the construction of the large pool with a waterfall.
President of the Port Douglas Surf Life Saving Club, Steve Pollard, said the club had a meeting with Council and designer, Philip Johnson, before any announcements were made.
“It’s going to make massive changes to our club, so they wanted to put it to us first as we were going to be affected the most,” he said.
“They took us through the process and what it would look like and we were pretty impressed. We had a special committee meeting and talked about the pros and cons and decided it would be a big advantage to the club, so we voted for it.”
Mr Pollard said while the current club had adequate facilities, they would never have envisioned being able to get a new two-storey Surf Club.
“It will replicate everything that we already had and the things we wanted to add, including accommodation.”
Accommodation set for the new club would include male and female dorms for those who are training and need to stay over.
Mr Pollard added there is also great potential to grow club numbers by having more employment opportunities with the need for lifeguards patrolling the lagoon and by having somewhere to swim and train all year round.
“We currently only run the nippers when the stinger net is out, so with the lagoon we would have somewhere to run the club during the summer months,” Mr Pollard said.
The proposed lagoon is subject to a business case to be conducted by Council which is expected to take 12 months to complete and will determine the viability of the project for the community.
View the full Council proposal here.
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