Call for Government to ‘Come Clean’ on Leagues Club Site

The claws are out again in the long-running saga over the former Balmain Leagues Club site in Sydney’s inner-west and its fight to regain its stripes.

Compulsorily acquired under a seven-year leasehold for use during construction of the NSW government’s Western Harbour Tunnel (WHT) project, the future of the Rozelle site remains in limbo.

Shrouded in uncertainty, the long-awaited return of the Tigers leagues club has been shelved, along with a planned $400-million mixed-use development approved for the site.

But with a contract recently awarded to a John Holland-CPB Contractors joint venture to build the first 1.7km stage of tunnel from Rozelle to Birchgrove, questions have been raised over the need for the site.

It was earmarked to be used as a so-called “dive site” enabling access into the tunnel during construction.

Developer Heworth Holdings Group, which secured the site in 2018 for $75 million with the financial backing of Malaysia giant Mulpha, is calling on Transport for NSW to “come clean” and show its hand.

Heworth head of property Christopher Walsh said the awarding of the tunnel lead-in works contract—as a variation of the existing Rozelle interchange contract—effectively “circumnavigates the need to tunnel from our site”.

“It has long been suspected that an alternate ‘dive site’ was being considered for the Western Harbour Tunnel,” Walsh said.

“It’s time for Transport for NSW to give us the answers we need and a firm commitment on what their plans are for the site.”

In May last year—only eight months after Heworth’s 28,000sq m mixed-use development was approved—a compulsory seven-year leasehold was imposed on the site by Transport for NSW to use during the tunnel’s construction.

The landmark site, on the corner of Victoria Road and Darling Street, has sat vacant since the old leagues club was demolished in 2010.

Heworth was granted development approval for its scheme—including 167 apartments, office and retail space, a town square, community arts studio and a new Tigers League Club—in September 2020.

“For the sake of Heworth, the Balmain Tigers, their members and the local community, we are asking Transport for NSW to come clean on what it plans for our site,” Walsh said.

“This four-year saga has gone on for too long and everyone involved in the project has suffered immensely.

“Our development is DA-approved and shovel-ready, but once Transport for NSW advised they required the site for the WHT project, we were forced to stop critical development activities, including design development works, contractor procurement, and sales and marketing, at a time when we were ready to commence off-the-plan sales. It’s all been put on hold.

“The project has stalled, we, as developers, have suffered enormous financial losses, hundreds of jobs are at risk and unfortunately for the club, we have been prevented from providing the Tigers with their new home.”

The NSW government was contacted for comment by The Urban Developer but had not responded at the time of publication.