Randwick Council will host a community picnic on Saturday 18 June 2022 to thank and congratulate everyone involved in the grass roots campaign against the Little Bay Cove development proposal.

The community celebration will take place at Macartney Reserve, Little Bay from 2 – 4pm and will include free coffee, afternoon tea and music.

“The Save Little Bay group is an excellent example of what happens when the might of people power is harnessed and channelled towards a shared goal,” said Randwick Mayor Dylan Parker.

“Through petitions, letter writing and continuous community engagement, this group has highlighted the importance of protecting the character of our communities and working within the planning framework.

“The Little Bay community is not opposed to development – they support the approved masterplan for Little Bay Cove – but what they are against is developers trying to make a quick buck at the expense of local communities through over development.

“We all know the fight is far from over, but it’s important to acknowledge just how significant the rejection of Meriton’s proposal is and to thank the group for their tireless efforts.”

Save Little Bay is a community group with more than 2,200 supporters, founded in opposition to Meriton's proposal for the area known as Little Bay Cove. The development proposed to build a hotel, shops, and almost 2,000 apartments in Little Bay in buildings up to 22 storeys high.

Council asserted that the proposal lacked strategic merit and was inconsistent with existing planning strategies for the area, including the State Government’s Eastern City District Plan and Council’s Local Strategic Planning Statement and Housing Strategy.

Randwick Council formally rejected the Meriton planning proposal on 23 June 2020 and the Sydney Eastern Planning Panel also rejected the proposal on Friday 18 June 2021 citing the "scale and bulk" of the development, which was not in keeping with the surrounding area.