Balmain Leagues Club: Developer won’t guarantee project over govt uncertainty

It’s one of Sydney’s spiritual homes of footy that has been left to ruin for 10 years. Now plans to bring the Balmain Leagues Club back to life are again up in the air.

With a deadline over its acquisition for the Western Harbour Tunnel project passed the developers behind the revamped Balmain Leagues Club have not ruled out that the project could now never see the light of day.

With no deal in sight more than 10 years after the Victoria Rd site was left to ruin there is more uncertainty for the spiritual home of Wests after a September 10 cut-off ticked by last week.

The State Government flagged in 2018 it would need the site for up to 10 years to finish the multi-billion dollar Western Harbour Tunnel and was set to strike an arrangement to use the land by last week.

It is understood Transport for NSW still has up to a further 10 days despite the deadline passing.

The current state of the site.

What it will look like when construction is complete.

Developer Heworth, which has had $135 million plans approved to bring the site back to life, told the Inner West Courier this week it is committed to seeing the project through but “anything could happen” if the government needed the land for 10 years.

“I’m personally committed, the company is committed to it but a lot can change in a decade,” Heworth’s head of development Chris Walsh said.

“I can’t see any reason why we wouldn’t be hanging around but anything can happen with so much uncertainty.

“If the government doesn’t pay the cost we may have to look at things like alternate alternative funding arrangements (for the redevelopment).”

The club has been a dump for over 10 years since it closed up. John Appleyard

Mr Walsh said the community has been through heartbreak watching their beloved club descend into a graffiti ridden dump for over the past decade.

He added that he “couldn’t honestly say” that the project will eventually go ahead if the government uses the land for up to 10 years.

Heworth bought the site three years ago and after a long battle to redevelop it they gained approval with the support of Inner West Council in October 2020.

Transport officials speaking at budget estimates last week denied the authority was looking into an alternative site, an option Mr Walsh said was the developer and the club’s preference.

Heworth remain committed to the project but could not guarantee what would happen if the land was leased for up to 10 years. Picture: Grant Leslie Photography

Mr Walsh said the unknown timing of the project was “frustrating” and that after years of negotiating with the government “most days it feels like zero progress has been made”.

“We’ve been on the scene for three-and-a-half years and I feel for the club, the community and fans who have been emotionally and financially invested for over a decade,” Mr Walsh said.

“The prospect of this dragging on for two decades is heartbreaking for those stakeholders. We would have fought it if we could.

“We’ve been pretty clear for the last three-plus years: if they can find an alternative dive site that’s our preference so we can develop our site.

“It’s a no-brainer, it’s compulsory acquisition, we’re not doing this by choice.”

Transport said Heworth were asking for too much in compensation. Picture: John Appleyard

If an agreement for the government to use the land isn’t reached the stoush will go before the NSW Valuer General who will decide how much compensation Heworth will get.

Transport for NSW declined to answer a series of questions when contacted this week but in a statement called Heworth’s demands unreasonable.

“Transport for New South Wales has been open in its need to utilise the Balmain Leagues Club site since 2018, when the WHT concept was first made public,” a spokesman said.

“After being unable to reach an agreement with the landowner TfNSW issued a Proposed Acquisition Notice (PAN) earlier this year following their request. The issuing of a PAN means that an independent party, the NSW Valuer-General will determine the compensation.

“The owner of the land, a property developer, wanted considerably more in annual rental than what TfNSW considered was reasonable value for the site.”

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