Demolition of 'cursed' Balmain Leagues Club site delayed again

The mayor of Sydney's Inner West Council has hit out at a property developer and Transport for New South Wales (TfNSW) after demolition works on the long-abandoned Balmain Leagues Club site were delayed again.

Chinese developer Heworth was granted approval to demolish the decaying, burnt-out building that has sat abandoned for 15 years and replace it with a mixed-use project comprising apartments and a new leagues club.

Under the approval, demolition work was set to begin midway through this year, but Heworth has now told the council it won't be beginning the project.

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Instead, it will apply to the NSW government to expand the development by seeking a 30 per cent density bonus, which is available for developments with 15 per cent affordable housing that will last for at least 15 years.

"This is frustrating news," Inner West Mayor Darcy Byrne said.

"This derelict building is a dangerous eyesore that should have been knocked down many years ago."

Fires have gutted the abandoned building on several occasions, including in 2022, and the site is also the subject of legal proceedings.

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Heworth is seeking compensation from TfNSW after the former state government mandatorily acquired the site to build the western harbour tunnel, only to back out of that decision.

Byrne pointed the finger at both parties, claiming they had "failed our community by continually refusing to demolish this blight on the Rozelle neighbourhood".

"Perhaps the Balmain Leagues Club site is cursed, this planning fiasco has dragged on for far too long," he said.

"Heworth will claim that despite already having approval for a large-scale development, which they proposed, they need to increase the scale to achieve financial viability.

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"The truth is there's no excuse for failing to demolish this dangerous derelict building right now.

"The transport agency is doing yet another disservice to our local community by failing to come to a settlement with Heworth.

"It seems obvious that when a government agency acquires a private property and then reneges on the process after two years, some compensation should be paid.

"Transport for NSW should get on with fixing this mess right now."