THE ground lease negotiated between the City of Melville and Wave Park Group (WPG) has presented a roadblock for those keen to see two local bowling clubs remain where they are.
Electors used a special meeting in April to call on the City to review the planned amalgamation of the Melville and Mt Pleasant bowling clubs and relocation to a proposed new build at Tompkins Park.
Councillor Katy Mair had sought to have that progressed Tuesday night after governance and compliance advisor Jeff Clark recommended the council note the intent of the motion.
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READ NOW“The Melville Bowling Club (MBC) has decided to remain where it is,” she said.
“The situation is we’re going to have nowhere for them to go (if they vacate in October because the new) clubrooms will not be finished until the end of the year next year.”
MBC members voted in 2016 to relocate but had a change of heart recently, deciding instead to scrap its support until the Local Government Inquiry into the City had concluded and Supreme Court action into the proposed wave park is resolved.
But with a ground lease at Tompkins Park already negotiated, acting chief executive Marten Tieleman referred to section 18.4 (2) of the meeting procedures to inform Cr Mair her push could not be accepted.
“In relation to the moving of the MBC we’ve entered into a conditional lease with the WPG which has obligations of the City,” he said.
He said if Supreme Court action found the lease invalid, the City “would be back to square one”.
A decision on that could still be a couple of months away.