Parramatta Leagues Club’s $140m hotel, wellness and function centre plans hit roadblock

The Eels’ plans for a new $140m high-rise hotel next to Bankwest Stadium have been crash-tackled over fears it’ll damage the area’s heritage value and create a traffic snarl on game days.

An artist’s impression of Parramatta Leagues Club’s proposed $140m hotel next to Bankwest Stadium. Picture: Hassell

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Plans by Parramatta Leagues Club to build a $140 million hotel, aquatic, wellness and function centre have been crash-tackled by opponents who claim it will create a traffic nightmare and be “out of character” near heritage buildings.

More than 100 submissions have been made in response to the embattled club’s proposal for a 17-storey hotel — first released two years ago — as the NSW Planning Department prepares to assess it as a State Significant Development.

The hotel would sit between the existing leagues club building and a multistorey carpark. It would contain 209 rooms, a 25m pool, conference facilities, gym and garden terrace with a bar.

Venues NSW, which runs neighbouring Bankwest Stadium, has strongly opposed it over fears the extra traffic, caused by the hotel guests, would lead to massive bottlenecks on game and event days.

It wants the plans “redrafted” so all hotel traffic would “enter and leave exclusively via Eels Place” at the northern end of the leagues club’s site and away from the 30,000-seat stadium, which is expected to host at least 43 events a year.

The leagues club’s proposed hotel would be in the existing site’s carpark, at the southern end of the site. Opponents to the DA are calling for it to redesigned so all hotel traffic would enter and leave via Eels Place, at the northern end.

Parramatta Council has also called for a traffic assessment report to “identify the impacts of the proposal on the local street network”.

And there are concerns the high-rise hotel would cause overshadowing issues and lead to overdevelopment among world heritage-listed buildings.

The Heritage Council of NSW says “there is potential for the subject site to impact historic archaeology” — and residents have also waved it away.

“These developments all have major implications for the world heritage-listed Parramatta Park and future World Heritage listing of the Female Factory,” North Parramatta Residents Action Group spokeswoman Suzette Meade said.

The site of the club’s proposed 209-room hotel, next to Bankwest Stadium.

“This is the gateway to Parramatta. We’ve already got the stadium there and we don’t need a tower blocking out the sun of our only real green space in Parramatta.

“The local residents think it would be out of character to put in a heritage precinct.”

The opposition to the development application comes as the leagues club remains under the watch of administrator Max Donnelly, who has been in the job since the State Government sacked the club’s board three years ago as the salary-cap scandal blew up.

Mr Donnelly said he was “confused” by some of the objections against the proposed hotel redevelopment.

Eels’ oversight: Administrator Max Donnelly.

“I don’t want to pre-empt anything, but I’m a bit confused about some of the concerns,” he said today.

“We’re in the process of responding to the objections and I won’t say anything more at this stage on this.”

The entrance to Parramatta Leagues Club. (AAP IMAGE / Jordan Shields)

He did, however, reveal his frustrations in trying to change the leagues club’s constitution to put in place a new “well-governed, proper and well-resourced” board.

“This would be the same as the one I’ve set up for the football club which has already produced good results,” Mr Donnelly said.

“It has helped secure a new centre of excellence at Kellyville and is going well.

“But I need to get the leagues club’s constitution changed first, which needs 75 per cent approval from members. And this is a difficult exercise to get done.

“But it’s important we get a better skilled board in place than the one that was there before 2016.”

The club’s new multistorey carpark off Eels Place. (AAP IMAGE / Jordan Shields)