New Balmain Leagues Club precinct plan set for exhibition

Friday, 14 December, 2018

Council will publicly exhibit amendments to the development control plan provisions for the Balmain Leagues Club precinct in Rozelle. 

The move follows Heworth, owner of the Balmain Leagues Club Precinct, making an application to amend the site specific provisions under Leichhardt Development Control Plan 2000 (DCP 2000).

In calling for public feedback on the plan to be exhibited in early 2019, Inner West Mayor Darcy Byrne said that the revised proposal was an improvement on previous applications and that the Council is determined to uphold the requirement for the Tigers Leagues Club to be included in any development. 

“It’s important to understand that the scale of the rezoning allowed on the site, up to 12 storeys, has been gazetted by the NSW Government many years ago. We have sought to have it rezoned back down to a 6 – 8 storey scale, but that has been refused.

“So this amendment is about changing the design and by reducing the traffic impacts, moving the bulk away from residents in Waterloo Street and creating a new public square. This does represent an improvement.

“Council has also imposed further conditions to further improve the design and reduce the bulk and scale.

“We fought a long battle against a previous owner of the site in the NSW Land and Environment Court to ensure a new Balmain Tigers Leagues Club would have a home in any redevelopment,” Mayor Byrne said.

“There is an absolute requirement for a Tigers club to be located in the new development, if it is to be approved.

“The entire premise of the rezoning of the site is based on the inclusion of the Tigers Leagues Club at the site.”

“With Balmain Leagues Club having recently gone into Administration, we have approached Wests Tigers other shareholder, Wests Ashfield, about taking up the space in the development for a Leagues Club. We will require that all to be concluded before this revised development could be adopted at Council.”

The DCP amendments proposed detail a number of changes designed to provide an improved planning framework for the Rozelle site including:

• The height and shape of the northern tower should be modified and reduced so that it steps down towards Victoria Road (12 storeys, 11 storeys, 9 storeys). This would allow sunlight to penetrate the future town square, particularly during winter at lunchtime.
  
  
• The tower buildings should be set back from Victoria Road, with two storey building heights provided on the edge of the site to Victoria Road
  
  
• Rather than using mainly steel and glass the proposed building materials and colours should be more in character with the surroundings, particularly Rozelle’s heritage charm.
  
  
• The proposed development should provide at least six metre setbacks to common boundaries so that the new buildings are separated from the surrounding areas. This will reduce its impacts on the privacy of surrounding areas.
  
  
• Footpaths along Victoria Road should be at least 4.5 metres in width rather than three metres to make it safer and more inviting for pedestrians.

Council’s urban design consultants worked with the proponent in developing the DCP amendments.

For further information, please contact Brendan Berecry on 9392 5218.