Central Coast Council will begin a process to re-classify and rezone the land on which Gosford Bowling Club sits, beside Central Coast Stadium.
The existing RE1 zoning is “a major hindrance” to the potential of the stadium’s further development and the current land classification of Community Sportsground requires modifications to allow additional uses, Council said.
The Council has given up on reclassifying the Central Coast Stadium because it would have to pay the State Government money to do so according to the Deed of Agreement when it was given the land.
The Deed requires Council to pay compensation to the State if Council modifies the Stadium community classification within a 99-year period after the Deed’s execution.
So the Council intends to simply modify the Plan of Management for the stadium.
But it will go ahead with the reclassification plans for the land next door.
Council says the rezoning and reclassification process for the land on which the bowling club is situated will allow “greater opportunities” within any proposed Masterplan which is defined in a Stadium Implementation Plan adopted last year.
When the idea was first mooted, almost 1,000 people submitted a petition to Council.
The petition said: “Gosford City Bowling Club (Lot 2 DP 1011876), currently used by the members of Gosford City Bowling Club and All Ability Bowls and numerous others, should remain under its current zoning of community sportsground (RE1) and not be reclassified as operational.”
Council said it leases the premises contained on Lot 2 DP 1011876 to the Central Coast Leagues Club and the Gosford Bowling Club is provided access to this site by the Leagues Club.
“Rezoning and reclassifying Lot 2, DP1011876 provides greater flexibility for future integrated planning for the Central Coast Stadium and Gosford Waterfront and does not presuppose any future outcome for the Leagues Club and its occupant the Gosford Bowling Club,” Council said.
“The process also provides Council with an opportunity to understand and alleviate any community concerns and confirm that Council is not considering a sale of the stadium nor the adjoining bowling club site.
“The re-zoning and re-classification will allow for further activation of the stadium for complementary uses, especially on non-event days, additional parking, connection to the CBD and surrounding foreshore to create a vibrant community and visitor hub.”
Further consultation with key stakeholders, such as the bowling club will continue, Council said.
The Gosford City Women’s Bowling Club has been operating there for 83 years and the site is also the home of vision impaired bowlers for the Central Coast.
It provides free services for Coastlink, Life Without Barriers, and House With No Steps (Aruma) and social bowls for a group of intellectually disabled men.
Every year local community groups and businesses use the facilities for barefoot bowls.
The club says it does not lease the land off the Leagues Club, but is a sub-club of the Leagues Club which leases the land for the bowlers and supports the club as well as many other community groups on the coast.
The club was first built in 1937 and extended in 1971 and in June last year Member for Gosford Liesl Tesch said three-quarters of the land was donated to Council in 1956 on the condition it remain a bowling club.
Merilyn Vale