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Thursday April 30, 2026 
3 March 2025
By James Mullan
North Sydney Council has submitted a development application for the dilapidated boat shed on the McMahons Point harbour foreshore, between Blues Point Reserve and Henry Lawson Reserve.
Proposed works include the partial demolition of the existing dilapidated boat shed, primary building, and associated structures, and the replacement of historic structures, existing hardstand concrete slabs, sandstone walls, and the slipway.
A new coffee kiosk would move into the remaining structure.
The project also includes the retention of some historic movable objects, proposed hard and soft landscaping, the provision of public toilets, improved pavement and footpath, a new pedestrian boardwalk and public viewing platform, as well as the installation of kayak storage.
The redevelopment is estimated to cost $1,320,000.
The history of building on the site dates back to 1895, when Dr Alexander McCormick bought the plot of land from Michael McMahon, a descendant of Maurice McMahon, the namesake of the suburb. Council records show that in 1895/1896, McCormick had built a two-storey, four-room, weatherboard, iron-roof house on the site called Redcliffe. It was leased out to residents, then businesses as harbour boat traffic increased. The house had a boat slipway with access to the harbour. In 1917, McCormick transferred the ownership of Redcliffe to his company, Craignish Pty Limited. In 1946, the property was sold to Sydney Ferries Limited.
The property was purchased in 1969 by William Lloyd Holmes, a boat builder. Holmes appears to have operated a boat repair and boatshed business from the ground floor of the property, while maintaining the residence above.
The Holmes family had been involved with the boat-building business around McMahons Point for generations. Reginald William Lloyd Holmes was a fraudster and smuggler who ran drug-smuggling operations, before becoming famous for his alleged involvement in the Shark Arm Murder of 1935.
“In the 1930s, Reginald Holmes was, while resident in this house, associated (to an unknown degree) in events surrounding the famous ‘Shark Arm Murder’ Case,” appeared in a 2015 Council DA heritage assessment.
William Lloyd Holmes applied to North Sydney Council in 1979 to convert the boatshed into a restaurant, but this application was refused.
The site changed hands in 1982 and 1986, then was sold to David Wilkenfield in 2009, who is the grandchild of the founder of the Bloch ballet company. Wilkenfield lodged a DA to redevelop the site in 2015.
In 2021, the NSW Government compulsorily acquired 1 Henry Lawson Avenue for the construction of the Metro line under the harbour, before it was transferred to North Sydney Council under the Land Transfer Program.
Opposition to the project has already arisen.
The Lavender Bay Precinct Committee has formally opposed the DA, with member Ian Lloyd writing in a statement, “The community stands united in its commitment to preserving this iconic foreshore site as Public Open Space, in line with the long-standing vision of the State Government, North Sydney Council, and local residents.”
“This land was acquired to complete Henry Lawson Reserve as open parkland, not to introduce inappropriate commercialisation,” said a spokesperson for the Lavender Bay Precinct. They added, “There are already public amenities in Blues Point Reserve and nearby Quibaree Park, along with kayak storage facilities. There is no need for additional structures in this sensitive and iconic location.”
In a formal submission to the council, local resident Dr Philippa Ramsay wrote:
“I am a local resident who walks around the waterfront of McMahons Point and Kirribilli regularly. I am appalled at the plans to gentrify and overdevelop this site. We have enough cafes and overdevelopment. We just want the beautiful natural harbour to shine. And we don’t need any more overspending.”
Council and other bodies, such as Sydney Water, will now assess the DA, with decisions expected around April on whether the project will go ahead, need modification, or be cancelled.