Former Balmain Leagues Club to undergo $285m revamp with 227 units coming to Rozelle
Construction is set to begin within months on the long-delayed Rozelle Village development, after 16 years of stalled plans, community outrage and political setbacks.
NSW
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After more than a decade of stalled progress and uncertainty, work is expected to begin within months on the long-delayed redevelopment of the former Balmain Leagues Club site in Rozelle.
The 28,000-square-metre block on Victoria Rd, vacant since 2010, has finally received the green light for transformation into a mixed-use precinct, following years of financial struggles, abandoned plans, government reversals and legal disputes.
The $285 million mixed-use Rozelle Village project will deliver 227 apartments — including 59 affordable housing dwellings — across three towers ranging from 14 to 16 storeys.
The development will also include a supermarket, public plaza, and a new clubhouse for the Wests Tigers.
The site’s derelict buildings were recently demolished, marking a turning point in a saga that has frustrated locals and officials alike.
Planning and Public Spaces Minister Paul Scully welcomed the development, saying it will provide much needed housing for young people and families, highlighting it as a success story of the government’s affordable housing bonus policy.
“The old Balmain Leagues Club site on Victoria Rd has been an eyesore for too many years, but will now be transformed into a thriving residential area with a supermarket, registered club and public plaza,” he said.
Chinese developer Heworth Holdings initially received approval for a 12-storey building, but reworked its plans to take advantage of the Minns government’s incentives for including affordable housing.
Under the state’s “In-fill affordable housing” scheme, developers can receive up to 30 per cent more floor space if at least 10 to 15 per cent of their projects are allocated to affordable housing for 15 years.
Housing Minister Rose Jackson called the approval “a big win” for housing in Sydney.
“Fifty-nine affordable homes in a prime inner-city location is a big win and just the start of what this new planning pathway will unlock across NSW,” she said.
“After 15 years of delay and decay, this vacant property is finally being transformed into something the community can be proud of with affordable housing at its heart.”
However, not all local leaders have been supportive of the revised plans.
Inner West Mayor Darcy Byrne has criticised the decision in the past to expand the original proposal, calling it “complete idiocy.”
“The affordable housing bonuses were designed to encourage investment in new housing projects – not slow down already approved developments,” Byrne said.
Despite mixed community reactions, with some residents fearing the scale of the project may overshadow local homes and businesses, the state government hopes the Rozelle Village will serve as a model for balancing growth and affordability.
The development is targeted for completion by 2028.
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