Willoughby Squash Club set to be demolished after court backs childcare centre plan
A court has approved the demolition of one of Sydney's last major squash centres to make way for a $2.9m childcare development despite a two-year campaign to save the popular sports complex.
A court has given the go-ahead for developers to demolish one of Sydney’s last remaining squash centres.
Despite a passionate two-year community campaign, the Land and Environment Court has ruled the popular Willoughby Squash Club can be redeveloped into a $2.9m childcare centre.
Ian Aitkins, the man who established the courts in Willoughby Rd in the late 1970s, is selling the property to help fund his retirement.
But Mr Aitkins’s family, and a community lobby group — Keep Squash in Willoughby — are urging Willoughby Council to either buy the facility and retain the squash, racquetball and table tennis courts, or provide space for another indoor racquet sports centre in the area.
The developer, Willoughby Early Learning, appealed to the court against a deemed refusal of a development application to the council to build a three-storey childcare centre on the site, with places for 165 children.
It submitted an amended DA earlier this year, which reduced the number of places to 130.
In its response to the developer’s appeal, the council said it had concerns over measures to prevent potential flooding of the proposed basement carpark.
The court was also told locals had concerns about the size and bulk of the centre causing privacy, noise, traffic congestion and parking issues for locals.
Keep Squash in Willoughby spokesman Jack Goodman said the club was the single biggest squash centre in Sydney and that about 87 per cent of squash courts had disappeared from the Sydney area in the past 40 years.
He said thousands of people, from children to retirees, from across the city had trained on the club’s 10 courts – including many who have gone on to compete on the national and Olympic stage. It was also home to the only doubles courts in Sydney.
“This court decision has added real urgency for the council to take the essential step of negotiating with the imminent new owners to buy the property and keep it as a council-owned indoor racquet sports and squash facility.”
Mr Goodman said: “We are happy to help raise funds, privately and through grants, to build a state-of-the art- forever facility on council-owned land.”
In a state of environmental effects lodged with the DA, a planning consultant for the developer stated that “consideration has been given to the potential environmental and amenity impacts that are relevant” to the development including potential flooding and noise.
“Careful consideration has been given to flood impacts and the proposal will present a net community benefit in terms of flooding mitigation in the locality through some localised upgrade works of the drainage network,” according to the statement.
“The site is not affected by mainstream flooding but by overland flow from ponding at the intersection between Small St and Tulloh Rd.”
Squash in Willoughby member and former world squash champion, Michelle Martin, said the court decision was a “deeply disappointing moment for the squash community in Sydney”.
Earlier this year Peter Aitken, a relative of Ian Aitkin, told this masthead that the family had lobbied the council to come up with a new site for the courts.
“The big thing that we’re really pushing for is to get support from local and state government basically to get us land. We’re happy to invest money into building a new facility.”
The council had previously resolved to support the provision of indoor racquet sport facilities in Willoughby.
Mayor Tanya Taylor said it was disappointing to see the loss of the facility that had “served the community for many years and held such value for local players”.
“Council remains committed to working with our community to identify future opportunities for a diverse mix of indoor sports across Willoughby.”
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Originally published as Willoughby Squash Club set to be demolished after court backs childcare centre plan
