Tigers eye return to Rozelle under new plans for the Balmain Leagues site

THE Balmain Tigers could soon return to the club’s historic home in Rozelle under the latest redevelopment plan for the dilapidated Balmain Leagues building.

New owners, Heworth Development, have released a $160 million proposal to turn the run-down ruin on Victoria Rd into 182 units, shops and a new club site that would be gifted to the Tigers.

Plans lodged to Inner West Council reveal three residential towers would stand 12-13 storeys tall above a public town square and green space.

There would also be space for a supermarket, six affordable housing units, and two “Melbourne style” laneways lined with restaurants and cafes connecting to Darling St.

The spokesperson of Heworth Group said the new proposal has been “significantly modified” to meet the council’s development control plan while a business plan was being developed with the Tigers to ensure the club’s viability.

“We’ve halved the amount of retail space and we’ve tried to respond to all the criticism from the earlier plans to create something that will give something back to the community,” he said.

“If we went to court we could have probably have got more but we felt the best process was to work with the council on it.”

“The solution is the same as it has always been — a sensible, smaller scale redevelopment that doesn’t destroy the character of Rozelle and allows Balmain Tigers to come back to their spiritual home.”

If approved, the construction on the site would begin mid-2019.

THE PLANS

2100 sqm of space for the Balmain Tigers Club

4500 sqm for restaurant/cafe/retail space

2300 sqm of commercial space, including a supermarket

182 units — six will be affordable

276 car parks — 131 for commercial and retail and 145 for residents

Roof and winter gardens

Two new laneways — called “Little Darling Laneway” and “Tigers Lane” connecting the site to Darling St

Reference: The Daily Telegraph

Date：01 MAY 18