00:00The future of the pedestrian footbridge will remain in limbo until at least the middle
00:06of this year, following an extraordinary meeting of Waverley Council last night that saw strong
00:12community support for keeping the bridge intact, despite calls by the state's Premier Chris
00:17Minns to have it torn down.
00:20Councillors voted last night in favour of commissioning a report into the costs, timetable
00:25and approval processes associated with replacing or restoring the bridge that was used as a
00:30vantage point by the gunman during the Bondi attacks on December 14.
00:35The northernmost bridge overlooking Archer Park is one of two at Bondi Beach, with both heritage
00:40listed and dating back more than a century.
00:44Mayor Will Nemesh told his fellow councillors in front of a packed public gallery that any
00:48decision on the future of the bridge would be done in conjunction with discussions about
00:53creating a permanent memorial for the 15 lives lost during the attack.
00:58In the last few days NSW Premier Chris Minns has made clear he supports the bridge being
01:03torn down over his concerns it could become a ghoulish reminder of the tragedy.
01:09At last night's meeting members of the Jewish community made clear they want the bridge to
01:13remain intact and become part of a broader memorial to the 15 lives lost during the Bondi terror
01:20attacks with that same sentiment being echoed by locals.
01:23We're one people, it doesn't matter if you're from the Jewish community or the non-Jewish community,
01:29we are one community, we all need to talk about this.
01:33I just walked over it, I'm so upset about this, I'm so passionate about this.
01:37I would probably like to see it stay.
01:39I think that it's one of the only kind of crossings here where you can get from that side of Bondi to the beach.
01:46So, and also yeah, I think it would be nice as a memorial.
01:50I agree, I think it should be kept and kept as a memorial, don't let one thing like ruin the place.
01:57Last night's meeting also heard a 2024 structural report into both bridges found that they were entering the last stage of their natural lifespan and would need to be replaced in the next few years.
02:11While councillors voted last night to engage that report looking into the potential replacement or restoration of both bridges,
02:19that report is not expected to issue its findings until later this year.
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