Dog park, backpackers, retirement village among suggestions for underused Port City Bowling Club carpark

A Port Macquarie venue is on the hunt for fresh ideas and keen developers to rework their underutilised carpark. What would you put there?

Port City Bowling Club is on the hunt for fresh ideas and keen developers to rework their underutilised carpark.

Over the past month, they opened expressions of interest for parties to submit their plans for what would be a joint venture between the club and a winning contractor.

The Mid North Coast News hit the streets this week, surveying workers, tourists and locals who frequent the area to find out how they’d like to see the 5400 sqm site used.

Given the city’s problems with parking, the most popular suggestion was more car spaces.

Some of the people surveyed suggested the club leave it as is, while others said building it into a multistorey carpark would be better.

“It’d be great to have new things in town, but people need parking if they want to access it,” one local said.

“I pick which venue I go to based on whether or not they have enough parking,” said another.

However David Gearing, the Port City Bowling Club CEO, confirmed that – no matter what goes there – parking will be included.

“I’ve got 11 expressions of interest on my desk, all of which have to provide us with 150 car spots on the site,” he explained.

“Then they tell us what they can do with the rest of the space.

“That way, if we do any upgrades to the club, or increase our floor space, we’ve got the parking there – it’s a non-negotiable.”

There’s currently only 119 parks available, which fills up with tourists during the holidays but usually has available spaces on off-peak periods.

“We don’t really need more parking there, because there’s not many businesses up this end – further in town is the place for more carparks,” one nearby cafe worker said.

Nature-centred ideas were also suggested by those surveyed, including a dog park and kid’s playground with shade and a splash pool.

Taken on a weekday afternoon, it's clear the carpark is underused, as the bowling club suggests.

“There’s not many dog parks here, and from this part of town up to lighthouse there’s not much for the kids,” one respondent said.

More tourist attractions were also suggested, including a Sydney-sider’s idea for an ice-skating rink.

A modern take on the once-thriving Peppermint Park – complete with water slides and room for skateboarding and roller-skating – was put forward by another long-time local survey respondent.

“We used to have Peppermint Park near Flynns Beach, plus a porpoise pool and a massive slide for the kids back towards town, but it’s all gone now,” they told The Mid North Coast News.

Many of the applications submitted have outlined plans for residential buildings, abiding by the 26.5m height limit.

“There’s been a mix of ideas, but mainly residential accommodation has been put forward,” Mr Gearing said.

“A retired living village has been another suggestion.”

With more than three million visitors heading to Port Macquarie each year, one local suggested short-term accommodation.

“Some people only visit for a night or two and just need a room with a bed, so maybe a place for them – like an upscale backpackers or something,” she suggested.

Mr Gearing said this isn’t the first time the club has looked at remodelling the carpark.

“Repurposing the space has been looked at before, about five or six years ago,” he said.

“In an effort to continue the 85-year legacy the club has built, we’re reassessing those underutilised assets and exploring options as we try to take the establishment to the next level.”

Mr Gearing said the revamping of underused resources has worked well in bigger cities, and hopes to achieve the same result here on the Mid North Coast.

“A lot of clubs in Sydney have partnered with developers to increase their assets and support their ongoing revenue streams,” he said.

“For example we might have apartments for rent, some of which could be used for our bowlers who visit from out-of-town for tournaments and things.

“It’s just about taking the club to the next phase of its life.”

The club is still in the very early stages of planning, with consultants assessing the expressions of interest this coming Tuesday.

Meetings with developers will go ahead next month, where the club will have the chance to ask questions and find out more about the proposals put forward.

The development is expected to take time, with the reworked carpark being part of the club’s master plan for the next decade.

“It’s not an easy project to do given how heavily-zoned the site is – we initially thought maybe a retail hub with a supermarket and doctor’s surgery would suit but it’s not zoned for that,” Mr Gearing explained.

“But whatever we decide, it’ll diversify the club’s income so we don’t have to rely on gaming machines or any other form of profit.

“It’s a good position for the club to be in, and we hope to do something that enhances Port Macquarie and the community.”