Dendy Beach Pavilion and Masterplan

Find out about

• Project overview
• Project progress
• Parking and access
• Public toilets
• Clean up notice
• Coastal erosion works
• Find out more, sign up to updates and read our FAQs

Project overview

The new Dendy Beach Pavilion is the centrepiece of a $19 million upgrade to improve the visitor experience of this iconic precinct. The redevelopment includes:

• A new pavilion including public toilets, facilities for Brighton Life-Saving Club including a life-savers’ beach observation area and multi-purpose training space and a small cafe with level access from the car park
• Addressing unsightly storm water outfall
• Improve the car park, shared trail and beach access pathways.
• New lower and upper forecourt.

The design of the pavilion building includes timber cladding to the upper storey which reflects the natural and beachy theme which was the preferred look identified through community consultation. This is to be situated further back from the beach than the existing pavilion increasing the lower forecourt plaza area.

We are upgrading the facility because although the existing structure has served the community well over time, it is now in poor condition and doesn’t meet the needs of the Brighton Life-Saving Club's 650+ members and volunteers who provide important lifesaving service to the local community and visitors to the iconic beach.

Identified by Life Saving Victoria as one of the highest priority facilities for replacement, we have been working with the club and the broader community to ensure that the new building meets future needs of the community and has minimal impact on the local environment.

Project progress 

We’re full steam ahead on the construction of the new life saving pavilion at Dendy Beach and implementing the Dendy Beach Masterplan.

The car park behind Brighton Life Saving Club and public toilet opposite Keith Court is closed from November 2021 until Autumn 2024 to allow works to progress safely.

The car park closure is required for the safe demolition and construction of the new Life Saving Club (including public toilets), upgrades to stormwater drainage and works in response to the EPA clean-up notice.

The construction site perimeter fencing was expanded in January 2023 to include a section of the beach promenade path adjacent to the Life Saving Club for the reconstruction of the heritage-listed bluestone seawall and beach access ramp. An accessible viewing area will be reinstated as part of the Dendy Beach Pavilion redevelopment.

Parking and access

Beach visitors will be able to park at alternative car parks a short distance from the beach:

• Green Point car park, 950 m walk
• Middle Brighton Baths, 850 m walk

We encourage visitors to utilise accessible car parks at both Middle Brighton Baths (4 spaces) and Green Point car park (2 spaces).

Pedestrian access to the beach will be maintained via Park Street and outside the fenced area around the construction site.

The beach promenade path between Wellington Street and the Dendy Beach Pavilion will be closed from January 2023 until Autumn 2024. Beach visitors using the promenade path can access the beach via breaks in the seawall.

Access to the Brighton Bathing Boxes will remain via the beach, and existing pedestrian pathways opposite 126 Esplanade, Dendy Street and Kinane Street.

We recommend that beach visitors with accessibility requirements, including wheelchair users, view the Brighton Bathing Boxes from the Green Point lookout while construction of the life saving pavilion is in progress.  An accessible viewing area will be reinstated as part of the Dendy Beach Pavilion redevelopment.

The Bay Trail path will remain open throughout most of the construction period.

During the construction period, the best views of the precinct, including the best photos of the Brighton Bathing Boxes, can be undertaken from the lookout at Green Point.

We are continuing to support the Brighton Life Saving Club and the vital community service they provide to the tens of thousands of people who visit Dendy Beach.

Temporary site sheds have been installed at the foreshore opposite Norwood Avenue for the storage of life saving equipment, first aid facilities and viewing points to enable the life savers to continue their work to keep the community safe.

Temporary Bay Trail closure

We’re closing a short section of the Bay Trail adjacent to the Dendy Beach Pavilion car park for resurfacing for up to two weeks in early to mid-April (weather permitting).

We’re also lengthening the driveways at the car park entry and exit points to increase the stopping area for vehicles to give way to trail users. This will improve safety for trail users and driver visibility when entering and exiting the car park and assist in alleviating congestion along The Esplanade from turning traffic.

During works hours, one lane will be closed to northbound traffic. Traffic management will be onsite to redirect all trail users onto the road and around the works area.

Please adhere to signage and traffic management to ensure the safety of all trail and road users.

More information

Fiona Mitchell, Principal Project Manager (Capital Projects)

fmitchell@bayside.vic.gov.au

03 9599 4386

Public toilets

While the pavilion is under construction public toilets are located at the southern end of the bathing boxes, opposite the Norwood Avenue and Esplanade intersection. Public toilets are also available at Green Point and Middle Brighton Baths.

Clean up notice

We are also continuing to work with the EPA to meet the requirements of Clean Up Notices for the precinct from Green Point to Middle Brighton Baths.

The EPA issued two clean up notices– one for the pavilion redevelopment site, the other for a broader section of the foreshore.

The EPA Clean Up Notices follow the discovery of contaminated soil during site assessments for the pavilion project.

Council is working with the EPA to manage contamination during the construction of the pavilion and associated works.

The Clean Up Notice for the broader foreshore and beach area requires Council to conduct further assessments to determine what, if any, action is required and provide a report to the EPA.

Organised activities that may involve disturbing soil in the broader Dendy Beach foreshore area are currently restricted as a precautionary measure.

Coastal erosion works 

Council has been working to respond to the impact of coastal erosion at Dendy Beach.

The south end of the foreshore is particularly vulnerable to southerly winds and storm surge events and northward sand movement over the summer. Over the winter months, southward sand movement is expected.

The volume of sand lost during these storm surge events has greatly exceeded the amount returned to the beach causing noticeable erosion impacting the bathing boxes, vegetation, and dunes at Dendy Beach.

We have been working with coastal engineers and key stakeholders to explore solutions to protect the iconic bathing boxes, important remanent Indigenous vegetation, precious dune system and cultural sites from any further damage.

As a temporary solution we recently undertook emergency sandbagging works to stabilise the bathing boxes at the south end of the beach. Following this in May 2022, we completed a sand renourishment at Dendy Beach.

This involved moving large quantities of sand from the Park Street Groyne to the south end of the beach. These works have increased the beach width and provided a buffer from further storm damage impacting the bathing boxes, important remanent Indigenous vegetation, precious dune system and cultural sites at Dendy Beach.

The next stage is investigating a long-term solution, with implementation anticipated to be in 2025 – 2027.

Find out more about the project

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