Housing & planning · Waverley Council
Proposal to assess 65 Ebley Street for Bondi Junction high school deferred
Waverley Council's Chair postponed a proposal to assess the Spotlight property's potential as a public high-school site. The deferred motion says requested NSW Education demand modelling had not been provided.
Reporting from public council minutes. How this article was prepared
A proposal to assess whether Waverley Council's 65 Ebley Street property, known as Spotlight, warrants further investigation as a future public high-school site was deferred by the Chair to 17 November, according to unconfirmed minutes of the 20 October 2026 meeting.
The motion cites significant planned housing growth in Bondi Junction, Edgecliff and Woollahra over the next 10 to 20 years. It says Council requested updated school-demand and capacity modelling from the NSW Department of Education on 24 June, but had not received it by the 20 October meeting.
If adopted, the proposal would have Council write to Deputy Premier and Education Minister Prue Car, copying the state members for Coogee and Vaucluse and the federal member for Wentworth. The letter would seek the modelling, departmental engagement on the suitability of 65 Ebley Street for a future public high school, and identification of other possible Bondi Junction sites.
Officers would also prepare a preliminary assessment of whether the property warrants further investigation as a potential public high-school site, in consultation, where possible, with the NSW Department of Education and School Infrastructure NSW. It would examine the property's location, accessibility, proximity to public transport and open space, potential capacity, planning and operational issues, and the strategic and financial implications of using it for a school rather than another future use. The assessment would consider whether a vertical-school model could be feasible.
A report to Council is proposed by March 2027, covering the Department of Education's response, the preliminary assessment, whether further feasibility work is warranted and recommended next steps. The minutes record a deferred advocacy and investigation proposal, not approval for a school, a commitment to use the site or a construction timetable.
What deserves a closer look
The recorded outcome is a deferral, so this item does not establish adoption of the proposed advocacy, site assessment or reporting timetable.
The proposed motion places the possible school use alongside other potential future uses of 65 Ebley Street; it does not select the property as a school site.
Questions for follow-up reporting
Will Council adopt the deferred motion at its 17 November 2026 meeting?
When will the NSW Department of Education provide the modelling described as outstanding in the deferred motion?
If the proposed assessment proceeds, what capacity, planning constraints and costs would officers identify for 65 Ebley Street, and how would those compare with other possible uses of the property?
What happens next
The deferred item is scheduled for consideration at the 17 November 2026 Council meeting.
If adopted, the motion would have Council seek updated modelling and departmental engagement on 65 Ebley Street and other possible Bondi Junction sites.
If adopted, officers would prepare the proposed report to Council by March 2027.
Check the record
These passages were matched to the source text. Read them in context in the original minutes.
The Chair deferred the Vertical Public High School in Bondi Junction item to the 17 November 2026 Council meeting.
THE MOTION WAS PUT AND DECLARED LOST. CM/8.2/26.10 Vertical Public High School in Bondi Junction (A14/0170) The item was deferred by the Chair to the Council meeting on 17 November 2026.
CM/8.2/26.10 Vertical Public High School in Bondi Junction — deferral notice
Open original minutes ↗The proposed motion cites planned housing growth across Bondi Junction, Edgecliff and Woollahra over the next 10 to 20 years. It says Council requested updated school-demand and capacity modelling from the NSW Department of Education on 24 June 2026, but the modelling had not yet been provided.
MOTION That Council: 1. Notes the significant planned housing growth across Bondi Junction, Edgecliff and Woollahra over the next 10 to 20 years and the need to consider whether future public secondary school capacity will remain adequate over this period and beyond. 2. Notes that Council requested updated school demand and capacity modelling from the NSW Minutes of Council Meeting 20 October 2026 This is page 23 of the minutes of the Council meeting held on 20 October 2026 Department of Education on 24 June 2026, taking planned housing growth into account, but this modelling has yet to be provided.
CM/8.2/26.10 Vertical Public High School in Bondi Junction — proposed clauses 1–2
Open original minutes ↗The proposal identifies 65 Ebley Street, Bondi Junction, as Spotlight. It would have Council write to Deputy Premier and Education Minister Prue Car, copying the state members for Coogee and Vaucluse and the federal member for Wentworth, seeking updated modelling, departmental engagement on the property's suitability for a future public high school, and identification of other potential Bondi Junction sites.
3. Notes that officers are currently considering Council's strategic property priorities, including the future use of 65 Ebley Street, Bondi Junction (Spotlight). 4. Writes to the Deputy Premier and Minister for Education and Early Learning, the Hon. Prue Car MP, copying the State Members for Coogee and Vaucluse and the Federal Member for Wentworth, seeking: (a) Urgency and priority for the Department to provide Council with the requested updated school demand and capacity modelling for Bondi Junction and the broader eastern suburbs, based on projected housing growth, given Council is considering the future use of its strategic property holdings. (b) The Department's engagement with Council on the suitability of 65 Ebley Street for a future public high school, while identifying any other potential sites in Bondi Junction. 5.
CM/8.2/26.10 Vertical Public High School in Bondi Junction — proposed clauses 3–4
Open original minutes ↗The proposal would have officers assess whether 65 Ebley Street warrants further investigation as a potential public high-school site, in consultation, where possible, with the NSW Department of Education and School Infrastructure NSW. The assessment would consider vertical-school feasibility, location, accessibility, nearby transport and open space, potential capacity, planning and operational matters, and strategic and financial implications compared with other future uses.
Officers, in considering the future use of 65 Ebley Street, prepare a preliminary assessment of whether 65 Ebley Street warrants further investigation as a potential future public high school site, in consultation, where possible, with the NSW Department of Education and School Infrastructure NSW (such as by providing relevant site and planning information), including: (a) Whether a vertical school model could be feasible. (b) The site's location, accessibility, proximity to public transport and nearby open space, and potential capacity to support a public high school. (c) Any significant planning, operational or other matters that would need to be addressed through further feasibility work. (d) The strategic and financial implications of school use compared with other potential future uses of the site. 6. Officers prepare a report to Council by March 2027 on the Department's response, the preliminary assessment of 65 Ebley Street, whether further feasibility work is warranted and the recommended next steps.
CM/8.2/26.10 Vertical Public High School in Bondi Junction — proposed clause 5
Open original minutes ↗The motion proposes an officer report to Council by March 2027 covering the Department's response, the preliminary assessment of 65 Ebley Street, whether further feasibility work is warranted and recommended next steps.
(d) The strategic and financial implications of school use compared with other potential future uses of the site. 6. Officers prepare a report to Council by March 2027 on the Department's response, the preliminary assessment of 65 Ebley Street, whether further feasibility work is warranted and the recommended next steps.
CM/8.2/26.10 Vertical Public High School in Bondi Junction — proposed clause 6
Open original minutes ↗Source record
Reporting from the unconfirmed public minutes of the Waverley Council meeting held on 20 October 2026.
Key facts from the minutes
- The Chair deferred the Vertical Public High School in Bondi Junction item to the 17 November 2026 Council meeting.
- The deferred motion says Council requested updated school-demand and capacity modelling from the NSW Department of Education on 24 June 2026, but it had not yet been provided.
- The proposal would assess whether 65 Ebley Street, Bondi Junction, warrants further investigation as a potential public high-school site, including whether a vertical-school model could be feasible.
- The proposed officer report would be due by March 2027 if Council adopts the motion.
- The unconfirmed minutes record a deferred proposal for investigation and advocacy, not approval to build a school.
Why it matters
- The proposal puts future public-secondary-school capacity alongside competing possible uses for the 65 Ebley Street Council property. The deferred motion says updated demand and capacity modelling had not been provided.