South Avalon's Beach once green hill - February 16, 2026. Photos supplied
Although the path could have been welcomed by those in wheelchairs, mums with bub in prams and the elderly on walking sticks to provide access either to the beach or the way up the hill, a series of steps in the structure negates the 'who this could be for' inclusion of these groups.
There are concerns the path has been cut too close to a treasured palm tree and that too will now fail as a result of the works.
People are also wondering what happened to the council not covering over the sacred ochre known to be at the site, treasured by resident indigenous peoples.
The push to 'formalise' the green area of south Avalon Beach has not been popular. A proposal by the council to terrace the area with sandstone blocks was rejected outright by the community. When the council commenced cutting into the hillside in 2017, there was an outcry over the disturbance of what local experts stated was Sacred Ochre.
Current Mayor Sue Heins stepped in and stopped the works tearing up the hill in 2017, sensitive to the distress this caused local First Nations peoples.
During the NBC debate that passed the Avalon Place Plan in July 2022 it was councillor Sue Heins who encouraged other councillors to accept what Avalon residents had so clearly said they wanted.
Residents repeatedly said in their submissions during consultation for the Avalon Place Plan that they want to protect Avalon’s natural environment and maintain the area’s informality.
The hill is part of the natural rise of the land towards the cliffs south of the beach. To terrace it and carry out other work on the “Beach Gateway”, the council estimated in 2022 would cost at least $5 million.
The community wanted something more in keeping with the spirit of Avalon, planting banksia trees and other endemic plants in the area to soften the landscape, provide shade and prevent erosion.
A total of 736 submissions were received in response to the draft plan, on top of extensive upfront invitation-only community consultation in 2018, which received 1,500 submissions and generated thousands of ideas and contributions.
The council endorsed the plan but agreed to do further consultation on the proposal for terraced seating near the bus stop on Barrenjoey Rd and consider ways to address cycling needs in the area.
The draft Plan retained many of the features the Avalon Preservation Association objected to all along, including the proposed terracing of Avalon Beach southern headland [draft p.74], which is a pleasant grassy headland behind the bus stop.
''This overdesigned intrusion has almost zero support in the community, and despite objections from the Community Reference Group and community groups, including APA, over several years, it remains in the submitted draft plan. The redesigned headland is erroneously presented in the consultation reports as a solution to safety issues with the narrow walking space between the bus stop and the roadway, whereas it is quite unrelated. The bus stop can easily be set back by a metre or so with no requirement to terrace the whole headland.'' APA stated then
When reading the final 736 submissions, many explicitly mentioned the terracing proposal. Of the 94 submissions that did so, 81 opposed it. Comments representative of those contributions are:
“Who thought it would be a good idea to build sandstone terraces so that people can sit and look at the road junction and petrol station?”
Similarly:
“The community does not want unnecessary concrete or stone terracing in place of the grassed areas.”
Given the community’s desire to keep Avalon natural, and the overwhelming opposition of those who were against concreting the hill, and pushed back against installing concrete at Little Av's hill, anger at what has appeared, again without consultation, is widespread.
Surfers, those who like seeing the birds feed on the grass in this space, and those who spoke out successfully against concrete being installed further up the headland at 'Little Av' as part of the first phase of the 'Coastal Art Trail' are now concerned the council will continue installing more concrete there as well anyway.
Northern Beaches Council’s response regarding the paths at South Avalon headland, and the concrete path it has installed, may not alleviate those concerns.
A spokesperson for council said:
''Council is currently installing two new pedestrian paths with landscaping, replacing informal tracks to enhance safety, reduce erosion and improve visual amenity. These works respond to community requests and align with the Avalon Beach Place Plan 2022 and the Avalon Pedestrian Access and Mobility Plan 2017. The landscaping includes native garden beds, turfing and sandstone features to assist with drainage. Council is investigating opportunities for additional tree planting to further increase shade and keep the area cooler as part of its Tree Canopy Plan however it also needs to consider the public’s need for open spaces for picnics, small events and Surf Life Saving Club activities.
These pedestrian paths provide opportunities for future links to the major coast walk project.''
When asked who requested these paths, the spokesperson said;
''Council values community requests and input and consults widely during the development of its place plans and plans of management across the LGA. Requests from associations and organisations are carefully considered, and actions are prioritised when they improve community safety and liveability and align with Council’s approved plans and available funding.''
However, apart from all the submissions that opposed this in 2022, when Pittwater Online News spoke to the Avalon Preservation Association, the local residents group, the APA stated:
''In December 2025 APA asked council about the status of the hill at the southern end of Avalon Beach, especially regarding the “goat tracks” evident now, the possibility of erosion and safety issues. Council, without further recourse to APA, has gone ahead with works to regularise the pathway up/down the hill.''
sm.jpg?timestamp=1774088047335)
the new path that creates more access and visual amenity, unless you're pushing a pram, in a wheelchair, or using a walking stick
The passed Avalon Place Plan document document or adopted plan still includes, on pages 73-74:
Create a terrace embankment on the corner of Barrenjoey Road and Avalon Parade to allow wider footpaths and additional seating for bus passengers. Widen footpaths on the eastern side of Barrenjoey Road.
However, the council webpage advises:
‘Changes were made to the Place Plan post exhibition to reflect feedback provided.
At its meeting, Council resolved that further community consultation is undertaken with regard to Action 52 (Beach Gateway terracing) of the adopted Plan. Action 52 is considered a long-term (5-10 year) activity. Consultation will be undertaken closer to the time of planning the design and implementation of this action.’ From: https://yoursay.northernbeaches.nsw.gov.au/avalon
Regarding the South Avalon Beach headland section of coastal walkway being abandoned, previously, and which is still, currently, available on the council website, it was stated, then:
‘’Community feedback received as part of Section 3 between 3 October and 6 December 2020 indicated concerns that the proposed shared-user path would increase risk to pedestrian safety based on a mixture of gradient, typography and potential impacts to driveway access. Questions were received regarding how many people would utilise the proposed path given the gradients were perceived to be inaccessible.
Although there was not a high level of direct support for the exhibited shared-user path design, most respondents did feel that pedestrian access and safety should be improved through this section, however indicated that this could be achieved through pedestrian footpaths only. Safety improvements have been incorporated into the detailed design for this section of work based on this community feedback.
Local resident groups also identified ongoing safety concerns with the Avalon Headland carpark and requested that this aspect of the original proposal be reconsidered in the hopes of addressing vehicle and pedestrian safety at the Headland, while still maintaining the coastal viewpoints.''
The council then stated:
‘’We are no longer proceeding with formalisation of the South Avalon Headland Carpark or the concrete path along the eastern edge of the carpark.’’ From: yoursay.northernbeaches.nsw.gov.au/ConnectingNorthernBeaches/connecting-northern-beaches-coast-walk-project-history
The community has pushed back against the installation of more and more hard surfaces in these green spaces since the Northern Beaches Council was imposed on Pittwater by State Government decree. The community of Pittwater prefers softer natural elements in public areas that includes all other residents – aka the resident wildlife- in coming to decisions about what should be where. The community is also conscious of how concrete and plastic creates heat in these places.
The installing of plastic turf in Dunbar Park, the putting in concrete where it was not wanted by the broader community on the other end of south Avalon Beach, without consultation, the installation of netball hard courts that are now hired out to others on the other side of the green.
With the announcement the council has selected that last stretch of green beside the yellow brick road behind Avalon sand dunes as the site for a bike jumps track, hard spaces 'formalising' the green public areas will leave just the dunes themselves not under concrete, plastic and tar in the village centre.
Residents have witnessed the passing of the selling off of Pittwater assets at a meeting residents could not address through the removal by the council of the Public Address by residents prior to council meetings, and conjecture circulating the council is compiling a list of other Pittwater land assets it could sell off, the slaughter of a terrified Little Penguin on Warriewood beach by an offleash dog, with dogs offleash everywhere and a rise in attacks being attributed to the messaging coming out of the council, the passing of a DA in a known flood zone at Mona Vale, and residents stating there are now several DA's where the council has denied due process to the community and the individuals this will directly impact, along with allocating generational debt and stress to those now in school who will pay to fix the piled on problem, and Northern Beaches Council topping complaints to the NSW Office of Local Government data in recent weeks.
The vastly different culture, the incidents, the proclamations, the theft, the removal of democracy, what is perceived as a lack of respect and transparency in order to ruin Pittwater has made residents more determined to reinstate its own council and their own voice. Of the calls and emails the main gist of them has been residents feel as though they are incessantly being assaulted, and:
''We need our council back - NOW! Before they've destroyed it all''
The premise for installing sandstone blocks all over the peninsula when Pittwater Council was forcibly re-amalgamated with Warringah council in May 2016 was to 'make the whole LGA look the same'.
However, from the responses across the Avalon Beach and broader Pittwater community it has been stated loud and clear that Pittwater residents want Pittwater to continue to look like, and be, For, About and BY Pittwater.
.JPG.opt1498x998o0,0s1498x998.jpeg?timestamp=1614437306794)
sm.jpg?timestamp=1774088161115)
the base of the palm that may now fail
sm.jpg?timestamp=1774122647601)
sm.jpg?timestamp=1774088201334)
sm.jpg?timestamp=1774122743359)
Alongside the cliff edge