Residents at Wesley Heights Manly have raised concerns over a lodged $8.25 million development application that would reconfigure the Village Tower on Birkley Road from mainly studio accommodation into 48 one-bedroom independent living units.
Wesley Heights Manly DA remains under assessment
The development application, DA2026/0652, applies to 27–47 Birkley Road, Manly. It was submitted on 27 May 2026 and remains under assessment.
The application is described as alterations and additions to seniors housing, with a listed cost of works of $8,254,471. The exhibition period ran from 4 June 2026 to 18 June 2026.
The proposal involves an internal refurbishment of the Wesley Heights Village Tower, part of Uniting Wesley Heights Manly. The building currently includes 81 studio units, five one-bedroom units, guest rooms and small common rooms.
Under the proposal, the tower would be reconfigured to provide 48 one-bedroom independent living units.
Uniting has said the change is intended to respond to demand for one-bedroom accommodation, improve accessibility for less mobile residents and raise the general standard of accommodation.
Residents Question Staged Construction
Residents have raised concerns about how the work would affect people still living in the tower.
Uniting has said the work would be carried out in stages over several years, with upgrades occurring gradually as units become vacant.
Residents said they were told the process could take 10, 20 or even 30 years, depending on vacancies in the building. Some have expressed concern about prolonged noise, dust and construction activity inside an occupied seniors housing tower.
Uniting has said residents would not be forced to leave their homes to allow the works to proceed, although some may choose to move to other units within the building.
That assurance addressed one immediate concern for residents, but questions remain among some residents about how the staged works would be managed over time.
Notice Prompted Concern at Manly Tower
A notice for alterations and renovations was placed at the property on 4 June 2026.
Residents said the notice did not initially appear unusual because renovation work had regularly occurred in the building when individual rooms became vacant. Concern increased after residents checked the application details and found the proposal involved a wider internal reconfiguration of the tower.
Several residents said they had not received formal advice about the proposal before the development application was lodged.
Uniting has acknowledged that formal advice was not issued before lodgement, despite informal conversations in previous years between some residents and a former village manager.
A residents’ meeting was held on 16 June 2026. A further meeting on 24 June 2026 confirmed residents would not be required to move out of their homes to facilitate the proposed works.
Application Limited to Village Tower
At last count, 31 submissions had been received in relation to the application.
The current proposal is limited to the Village Tower on Birkley Road. Uniting has said there are no plans in place to redevelop the entire Wesley Heights Manly site.
Wesley Heights Manly is part of Uniting’s aged care and retirement living presence on Birkley Road, with residential aged care services also operating at the Manly site.
The development application remains under assessment.
Published 30-June-2026
