Bondi Beach, one of the world's most famous and beautiful beaches in Sydney, is soon going to get a green facelift, according to a draft proposal released Tuesday, April 30, by local council officials.
According to the Daily Telegraph, the Waverley Council, in charge of the beach functioning, released the draft on the basis of feedback and suggestions of more than 1000 people who wanted to see an improvement in the iconic beach area.
The council plans to carry out the remodeling in phases. The first phase includes upgrading the playground, the toilets and the fitness equipment in the Bondi Pavilion, which served as a ballroom and housed many Turkish Baths in the 1900s. Expanding the pedestrian zone in front of the pavilion, improving the skate park and adding a beginner's area and planting a lot of trees are some of its other short term plans, reports The Global Post.
Long term plans include replacing the car park with a grassy green expanse, which will provide more area for recreation. The car parking will be moved underground behind the pavilion, which will also accommodate more number of vehicles. A boardwalk will also be built to connect the Coogee Coastal Walk to Bondi Beach.
The 10-year-plan still needs to get final approval. Cost of the project is yet to be unveiled. Until then the council is open to suggestions and is still soliciting feedback until the end of May 2013, reports ABC News.
"Bondi Beach is Sydney's third-most popular attraction, after the Opera House and Harbour Bridge, so we have reached for the sky with this bold plan. We were conscious of preserving Bondi's heritage and character while finding ways to enhance and boost its cultural vitality," Sally Betts, mayor of the Waverley Council, said to the Associated Press.
Check out the Artists' impression of the beach after its makeover, here.
Bondi is a major tourist attraction of Australia. The beach receives more than 2.2 million visitors every year. Bondi derives its name from an aboriginal word "Boondi" which means "Breaking Waves". Its location is as attractive as its tidal beauty. It lies just four miles away from Sydney's Central Business District.
"There are so many different reasons people come to Bondi and love Bondi, and we have tried to balance those varying uses and needs," Betts added.