Paddington Bowling Club a forgotten wasteland as owner keeps development plan under wraps

PADDINGTON Bowling Club is overgrown and neglected four months after it closed but the man with a lease over the valuable site says he ‘has a vision’ for it.

PADDINGTON Bowling Club may be overgrown and neglected four months after it closed but Christian Sanchez who holds the lease for the valuable site says he ‘has a vision’ for its future.

Decaying furniture and broken umbrellas remain beside the abandoned bowling greens, which are overrun with weeds.

Grass is growing over the once-popular outdoor drinking areas and a decrepit playground is a reminder families used to be welcome.

Furniture, umbrellas, old play equipment and ashtrays are all still scattered around the site.

After a host of problems, the club closed on June 16 and pleaded guilty in August to 40 liquor, gaming and licensing offences from the Office of Liquor, Gaming and Racing. It was fined $51,380 and had to pay the OLGR’s $17,500 legal fees.

The Department of Primary Industries then wrote to CSKS Holdings, who acquired the lease over the land from the bowling club in 2011, requesting it “show cause” as to why the lease should not be revoked and sparking a referral to the Independent Commission Against Corruption.

The club used to be incredibly popular, particularly through the rise of barefoot bowling.

The department then decided CSKS could keep the lease but ordered Mr Sanchez, as the company’s owner to reveal his intentions for the land.

Mr Sanchez told the Wentworth Courier he had a new “vision” for the site but was not ready to release it.

“I will make more known about the vision for that site when I have an indication of whether the state government will be supportive of it,” Mr Sanchez said.

“At this stage the greens aren’t being maintained because they’re not in use, it costs a lot to maintain bowling greens.

“We’ll keep it tidy in the meantime but nobody can access the site at this stage anyway.”

The owner of the lease over the site said he would keep the site tidy while a permanent ”vision” was made.

The clubhouse was locked when the Courier attended the site this week but the gate to the bowling greens was not.

The department advised CSKS it would not revisit a ministerial decision to withdrawconsent for a childcare centre on the land.

Resident Narelle Ryan has been heavily involved in a campaign to have the lease revoked and the land turned into a public park.

She said the department’s “show cause” letter predated the 40 convictions and that they should play a part in the state government’s decision on whether to take the lease from CSKS.

“It therefore follows that since Paddington Bowling Club has pleaded guilty to the 40 criminal charges brought by OLGR, then they have placed CSKS Holdings in breach of clause 85 of their lease,” she said.

Meanwhile, the Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority is considering another 33 grounds of complaint against the club, relating to registered club and gaming laws.