Balmain Leagues Club back on the market

Balmain Leagues Club back on the market

By Emily Contador-kelsall

After almost a decade of failed development proposals and community opposition, the site of the old Tiger’s club in Balmain is on the market.
The club first came into the spotlight in 2004, when they approached Leichhardt Municipal Council to discuss rezoning and has since seen several development applications.
Rozelle village is the current owner and vendor of the property.
Leichardt Mayor Rochelle Porteous said council wants to ensure there is an evidence-based approach, which enables the development of a smaller and more sensible development that aligns with community expectations.
“Council is in the process of developing new planning controls for the Balmain Leagues Club site.”
“The new controls need to properly take into account the restrictions imposed on the site by its location within a residential precinct, the already at capacity traffic network and the border the site shares with Victoria Road”
Councillor Darcy Byrne, ex-Mayor of Leichardt said all sides would need to compromise to deliver a development that benefits the community and Tigers fans.
“It is a relief that developer Rozelle Village has finally decided to sell the site on. This creates one last opportunity for a developer with a more realistic expectation to purchase the site and propose a reasonable development with a new Leagues Club in it.”
Rozelle Residents Action Group [RRAG] spokesperson Mark Wallis said the sale of the site gives the community some hope that with a more reasonable owner who could work with the community, they might get an acceptable outcome.
“Although this saga will never be truly over until something is built on the site the process so far has shown that the type of high rise / retail development proposed will not work on this site”
“An alternative that might work would be similar to what is happening on Victoria rd. Drummoyne with buildings of up to 5 storeys stepped down to the residential streets behind.”
Mayor Porteous said council and the community want to see the return of the Balmain Leagues Club to the site.
“I think most of the community and council want to see development on the site which is sensible and which works in the local context.”
“The original rezoning and development applications simply did not work we want to be sure that the new planning controls provide clarity and certainty both for the new purchaser and for the community.”
Labor Candidate for Balmain, Verity Firth said in a statement it must be made clear to any potential purchasers that genuinely community consultation is a must if they wish to avoid the pitfalls that stymied past owners.
Mr Wallis from RRAG said the decade long struggle between the community and developer had brought the community closer together.
“I think it has shown how a long and sustained community based opposition to an unacceptable development proposal can be successful.”
“Without the widespread support of the community this fight would not have been won.”
Cr Bryn said the State Government and supporters of the Club will have to accept that skyscrapers will never be approved but that a much smaller scale development can be.
“Mayor Porteous, Jamie Parker and their Greens colleagues will need to actually propose a viable development instead of blindly opposing as they have done in the past.”
“The new purchaser of the site should get on with the job of submitting a development application that complies with the existing rezoning.”
Mr Wallis said he thought Balmain Leagues Club have allowed their brand to be used to the long-term detriment of the club.
“This is a sad state of affairs for such an Iconic club as Tigers, but had their original development scenario been more reasonable it would have been built by now and the club woul d still be on the Rozelle site.”

 

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