‘It will spread like the measles’:Bondi beach club prompts fierce backlash

Detailed plans for an Italian-inspired beach club on Bondi Beach have provoked a backlash,with Lucy Turnbull,federal Labor MP Matt Thistlethwaite and TV chef Adam Liaw all voicing their opposition.

Janek Gazecki,who wants to open hisAmalfi Beach Club on Bondi Beach over summer and charge patrons $80 for a cabana,said he won’t be put off by the negative reaction from vocal opponents.

Planning Minister Rob Stokes has vowed to stop the development. A Facebookaction groupWe Oppose Amalfi Beach Clubhas been set up and already has about 1200 members.

An artist impression of the Amalfi Beach Club for Bondi Beach,proposed by polo entrepreneur Janek Gazecki.

An artist impression of the Amalfi Beach Club for Bondi Beach,proposed by polo entrepreneur Janek Gazecki.Supplied

“We won’t be bullied or give in to the cancel culture,” Mr Gazecki said. “However,I believe our opponents will calm down once they realise what it’s about.”

Mr Gazecki said he welcomed debate about the beach club,but many criticisms were factually incorrect.

Sydney parks and beaches are already hired out for corporate events,he said. “Outdoor hospitality on public land has been heavily pushed by the NSW government,so we are simply following their lead.”

But Lucy Turnbull on social mediasaid the beach club would set a “really significant and I think unfortunate precedent for the privatisation of public space”.

“It won’t stop wherever it starts,” she said. “It will spread like the measles. So just don’t start it.”

TV chef Adam Liaw offered sarcastic praise for the beach club onTwitter,calling it a “fabulous idea” for one of the world’s best beaches “to authentically recreate the experience of spending time on a much worse beach in[a] country known for having very bad beaches”.

Federal Labor MP Matt Thistlethwaitesaid beach clubs should never be allowed on Australian beaches.

“Exclusive areas for those who pay are not on,” he said. “Governments must ensure all our beaches remain accessible to all. It’s an important part of our culture.”

Mr Thistlethwaite’s social media post prompted expressions of support for the beach club,with one Twitter user saying:“If done right and not overdone,a great revenue generator for the local council.”

The design of the beach club,which features two shipping containers transformed into replicas of an old Italian coastal building,was also criticised.

“A couple of shipping containers bolted together,then faux aged with peeling paint to make them look ‘European’ and throw in a couple of ‘Leichhardt arches’. This is not good design,” aSun-Herald reader said.

Mr Gazecki said the beach club’s design was dictated by heritage considerations and the nearby Bondi Pavilion.

“So we are kind of constrained to that,but in doing so we are celebrating Bondi’s very own heritage,and plenty of people love it,” he said. “However,you will never please everyone.”

He also refuted the suggestion that the beach club borrowed from bad beaches.

“The initiative is intended to create jobs,boost the local economy,aid tourism recovery whilst creating vibrancy on what has become a largely empty beach,” he said. “NSW should not be left behind as beach clubs are popping up everywhere.”

Mr Gazecki said the beach club would be free to enter and take up about 1.3 per cent of Bondi Beach.

“If you don’t like it,sit on the remaining 50,000+ square metres of beach,but let’s not dictate to others what their beach experience should be,” he said.

Mr Gazecki said the fundamental aspects of the beach club had not changed apart from adapting to COVID-19 rules. He said it was always intended to be family-friendly,open to everyone and designed to boost tourism and hospitality.

“It was never a private club,did not force anyone to pay to go to the beach,does not privatise the beach and will never stop a single person from enjoying the beach the way they like,and always have,” he said.

Andrew Taylor is a Senior Reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald.

Most Viewed in National