History

The original Manly Hospital was built between 1920 and 1928

• 1919 - A public meeting in the Manly Town Hall resulted in 4.86 hectares of land being transferred to NSW from the Commonwealth Government for the establishment of the Manly Peace Memorial Hospital, as a permanent tribute to the men who fought in the Great War.
• 1926 - A tender was received for the construction of the Manly Peace Memorial Hospital at a cost of £52,6484. The final cost of the first stage amounted to £87,000.
• 1931 - The Manly Peace Memorial Hospital opened after years of delays due to funding shortages for essential services such as nurses’ accommodation, x-ray facilities, laundry, refrigeration, etc.
• 1939 - Renamed as Manly District Hospital, it received a £3000 donation to establish a ward for paralysed children.
• 1952 - Construction of a 40-bed aluminium pre-fabricated building for a Maternity Unit was completed.
• 1956 - The Thoracic Block for patients with chest complaints was inaugurated in the North Wing.
• 1969 - An Intensive Care, Recovery, and Central Sterile Services Department (CSSD) ward was established.
• 1971 - Local fundraising enabled the provision of a hydrotherapy pool.
• 1976 - The five-floor South Wing opened, featuring new operating theatres, catering facilities, and two surgical wards.
• 1983 - A sixteen-bed Rehabilitation Unit commenced operations.
• 1992 - The East Wing opened, accommodating a 20-bed psychiatric unit and a 10-bed drug and alcohol unit, replacing the 13-bed unit built 60 years earlier.
• 2013 - Announcement that Manly Hospital would close once the new hospital in Frenchs Forest was completed, scheduled for 2018.
• 2014 - Following the closure of the hospital in 2015, it was declared that the 6.2-hectare site would be zoned for health and environmental conservation uses only, eliminating any plans for housing.
• 2015 - The local Manly Hospital Project Steering Advisory Committee was formed to identify potential health and well-being opportunities for the site, including members from the former Manly Hospital Community Advisory Group and departmental representatives as well as community representatives.
• 2018 - The NSW Government committed $2 million to developing a hospice for young adults, encouraging community involvement in raising funds.
• 2018 Manly Hospital closed as the new Northern Beaches Hospital opened in Frenchs Forest.
• 2018 - A Project Steering Advisory Committee (PSAC) was established to develop future uses and a master plan for the site. The PSAC includes members from the Department of Planning Industry and Environment (DPIE), Northern Beaches Council, Northern Sydney Local Health District, National Parks and Wildlife Services, and local community members.
• 2020 - The State Government sought community feedback on the proposed concept master plan.
• 2022 - The State Department of Planning and Environment (DPE) launched an Expressions of Interest (EOI) campaign to identify a delivery partner to transform the former Manly Hospital site into a health and well-being precinct. Several organisations entered discussions to become the delivery partner, working with DPE and the community to develop a master plan and site-specific Development Control Plan (DCP) to meet the needs of the Northern Beaches and greater Sydney metropolitan area.
• 2023 - Northern Beaches Council submitted a proposal for rezoning from Special Uses Hospital to allow for other uses on the site.
• 2023 The Manly Adolescent and Young Adult Hospice (AYAH), Australia’s first dedicated service for young people with lifelimiting illnesses, was completed. Funded largely by donations, the $19.5 million hospice provides respite care, symptom management, and end-of-life facilities for patients aged 15 to 24.
• 2024 - The planning proposal to amend the Manly Local Environmental Plan 2013 and State Environmental Planning Policy (Precincts – Eastern Harbour City) 2021 was approved. This facilitates the redevelopment of the site as a ‘health and well-being precinct’ while preserving its ecological and heritage values. Development can now include a Health and Wellbeing precinct, group homes, seniors housing, community facilities, respite day care centre, and education establishments, catering to a diverse community. Seniors housing is designed for seniors and people with disabilities, including residential care facilities, independent living units, or hostels staffed by support workers.
• 2025 - Aveo was announced as the NSW Property Development Partner for the site.

Fun Facts

• The site is approximately 6 hectares.
• 42% of the site will be designated as usable open space.
• The maximum proposed building height is RL81.8 (current height of existing building)
• Basement car parking is planned to minimise surface traffic.
• Just one building on the site—the former Main Ward block, or Building Two—is currently heritage-listed.
• The façade and portico are the only remaining significant element of Building One and should be retained and conserved, possibly as part of a new building.
• Building 15—most recently used for occupational therapy but originally the two-storey brick kitchen block— is considered to have “high” heritage significance
• The endangered Littoral Rainforest located below the cliff line to Collins Flat must be protected.