Parking around Willoughby Leisure Centre could look quite different when the redeveloped facility opens, with proposed restrictions reaching beyond the centre’s car parks into Small Street, Artarmon Road, Pendey Street and Flat Rock Reserve.
Willoughby City Council is asking residents and precinct users to comment on the plan by 25 August, as it prepares for increased activity around the new centre. The consultation covers everything from members-only parking and new time limits to street restrictions and pick-up and drop-off arrangements.
The timing is significant. Council has been working towards an August or September opening for the redeveloped Leisure Centre, although commissioning, safety testing and staff preparation still need to be completed before the doors open.
Members-Only Parking Proposed for Upper Car Park
Perhaps the biggest change for regular Leisure Centre users is the proposed division between the centre’s two main car parks.
The 136-space upper car park, currently unrestricted, would become members-only parking with a two-hour limit. The 169-space lower car park would remain available to everyone, but parking would be limited to three hours — all day from Monday to Friday and between 8am and 3pm on weekends.
During netball season, the 51-space grassed car park off Small Street would also be reserved for Leisure Centre members, with a two-hour limit. The area currently opens only during netball season and has no time restriction.
Over at Flat Rock Reserve, the proposal identifies 27 spaces for three-hour overflow and permit parking during netball season, including permit parking for netball officials. Another 24 spaces on a netball court could become available during finals when that court is not being used for play.
The Changes Reach Into Surrounding Streets
For nearby residents, some of the more consequential proposals are outside the Leisure Centre grounds.
On the northern side of Artarmon Road between Edward Street and Willoughby Road, 26 spaces are proposed for four-hour parking between 8am and 8pm, seven days a week. Council’s proposal also provides for permits for Leisure Centre staff in this area.
Another four spaces would have four-hour restrictions on Monday, Friday and Sunday, but become no-parking spaces between 8am and 8pm on Saturdays.
There would also be changes on the southern side of Small Street between Tulloh Street and Salisbury Lane, altering the hours attached to existing two-hour and no-parking restrictions.
Pendey Street is another part of the plan. On Saturdays during the March-to-September netball season, a No Stopping restriction is proposed between 8am and 4pm, while still allowing two-minute passenger pick-up and drop-off.
Taken together, the proposals are an attempt to manage two different sources of demand in the same precinct: the reopened Leisure Centre and the established sporting activity around Bicentennial Reserve.
A Much Bigger Leisure Centre Is Coming
The parking discussion is happening against the backdrop of a substantial redevelopment.
The new Willoughby Leisure Centre is set to have four pools, including an eight-lane 25-metre lap pool, learn-to-swim pool and warm-water program pool, as well as a children’s splash zone, spa, sauna and café. Expanded swimming, group fitness and aquatic programs are also planned.
Council said earlier this year that it was working towards opening in August or September 2026, but stopped short of setting a firm date. Construction handover is to be followed by system commissioning, safety testing and staff inductions before the facility can open.
That larger operation is expected to put more pressure on parking, particularly when Leisure Centre use overlaps with weekend sport. Council says demand is expected to rise especially during the netball season, which runs from March to September.
Netball Association Pushes Back
The parking plan has already drawn opposition from the Northern Suburbs Netball Association, which uses the Bicentennial Reserve courts.
In a statement published on 6 August, NSNA objected to the proposals and argued they would restrict parking and access around the courts at a time when the new Leisure Centre is expected to bring more people into the precinct.
The association has called for Council to investigate alternatives, including additional parking capacity, rather than proceed with restrictions it believes could make access more difficult for netball families and other users.
That objection adds another dimension to the consultation. The question is not simply where Leisure Centre visitors will park, but how the same collection of car parks and surrounding streets will cope when swimming, gym and fitness users arrive alongside people heading to weekend sport.
Another Drop-In Session Is Still to Come
Residents had their first opportunity to discuss the proposal with Council staff at a drop-in session on 4 August. A second session will be held at the Willoughby Leisure Centre lower car park on Wednesday, 12 August, from 5pm to 6.30pm.
Feedback can also be submitted online, by email or by post, with consultation closing on Tuesday, 25 August 2026.
Once submissions have been considered, an engagement outcomes report will be prepared and presented to Council’s Traffic Forum. The minutes from that meeting will then be reported to Council, with people who made submissions to be notified of the Council meeting date.
For anyone who regularly parks around Small Street, Bicentennial Reserve or the Leisure Centre, there is still time to weigh in before that process moves to its next stage.
Published 10-Aug-2026
