Bongaree Bowls Club makeover includes plans for retirement village

A popular bowls club with a 72-year history has applied to extensively renovate the site and add a retirement village. SEE THE PLANS

A popular bowls club on Bribie Island could soon be undergoing a makeover with an ambitious plan for a boutique retirement village revealed.

The Bongaree Bowls club has been a mainstay of Bribie Island since its inception in 1949 but now the site at 54 Toorbul Street could be home to permanent residents.

Bribie Island RSL and Citizens Memorial Club Inc, the landowners, has submitted a development application with Moreton Bay Regional Council to repurpose a portion of the block to include a retirement facility.

Bongaree Bowls Club Men's Championship Pairs 2020 Barry France and Gordon Pitts V Arne Jensen and David Vaughan.

The 9777sq m site is already home to a clubhouse and facilities along with three bowling greens, one of which is not in use.

According to the proposal, the retirement facility is “intended to provide a new, high-quality, boutique-style retirement living option for Bribie Island residents as an alternative to existing retirement facility options”.

“The co-location of the Retirement Facility with the existing bowls club will provide a unique opportunity for residents to benefit from its proximity to an established sport and recreation facility, the amenities of which will be substantially enhanced through this proposal,” the planning report states.

“These improvements are considered critical for reinvigorating club membership and ensuring BBC’s future economic sustainability, which is not viable without the addition of the retirement facility.”

The proposed upgrades to the bowls club will see two of the three lawn bowls greens upgraded to synthetic all-weather playing surfaces as well as a refurbishment of the clubhouse to include a repurposed cafe/bar and outdoor ‘alfresco’ seating area.

While the retirement facility plans show a four-storey building to include 19 two-bedroom units and 14 three-bedroom units.

There will be private open space for potential residents with a ground level courtyard and upper-level balconies.

A total of 53 carparking spaces including 50 resident spaces and 3 visitor car parks has been proposed.

The site is located in the Sport and Recreation Zone, which provides for a range of recreation activities that serve the needs of the community.

A pre-lodgement meeting with the council was held on December 14 last year for the applicants to discuss the proposal, however issues were raised with the retirement facility being of an “inconsistent use” for the land.

According to the report, “the concept of redeveloping one of the bowling greens to sustain and revitalise the existing bowls club is generally supported”.

Australian Bureau of Statistics 2016 census data referenced in the planning report highlights that 58.8 per cent of Bongaree residents are aged 60 years or over, compared to the Queensland average of 20.7 per cent, clearly confirming the potential need and demand in the area for a high-quality, small scale, seniors living.

“Occupancy of the Retirement Facility will be available to the general public although it is reliably expected to have particular appeal to members of the Bowls Club and Bribie RSL and Citizens Memorial Club, given its location and BRSL’s proximity to the site,” the report notes.

The Bongaree Bowls Club has been contacted for comment.