Forestville RSL will find out at the end of the month whether its $76 million redevelopment plans will be approved by council, following the launch of a petition opposing the proposal.
The plan outlines a two-stage development, starting with the construction of a new single-level clubhouse and 16 independent living units above it, replacing the club’s two existing bowling greens. The second stage would involve demolishing the current clubhouse to make way for three separate three-storey buildings housing 39 additional independent living units for retirees.
Speaking with Club Management, Forestville RSL CEO Ian Thomsen believes this next stage of the club’s evolution will help secure its future and that of the local community.
“We need to continue to evolve to meet the changing needs of our customers and the services they influence via hospitality and the people we support through the community, like local sporting groups, cultural groups. All of these people need ongoing support.”
Thomsen also acknowledged the impact of incoming gaming legislation and said it would be “foolish and in fact, negligent” not to explore alternative revenue streams.
“We don’t want to get out of gaming completely, but we do want to reduce our reliance on it. So to do that, you look at what many other clubs have done … which is to create alternate revenue streams that reduce our reliance on gaming. That then helps mitigate any changes the state or federal government makes to gaming legislation, so we can continue to support all those sporting, cultural and social groups we serve at the club.”
However, the proposal has faced backlash, with a petition stating the project will “destroy the massive and still rapidly growing young-family demographic heart and essence of Forestville and Killarney Heights”. It argues the development will see “the club’s family space dramatically decreased while its poker machine ratio space will be dramatically increased”.
At the time of writing, the petition has just passed 1,000 signatures.
Thomsen said the club is following a well-established path already taken by other Northern Beaches venues in Sydney including Dee Why RSL, Harbord Diggers, Chatswood Golf Club and Willoughby Club. From a management perspective, he noted the model works well because the retirement component can be outsourced and is well-suited to Australia’s ageing population.
“It’s a proven model that clubs can operate effectively, efficiently, and profitably.”
Thomsen conceded there will always be opposition to any development, noting that at the club’s most recent information session for its Heart of Forestville project, only four out of 60 attendees voiced objections.
“In the end, no matter what you’re trying to build, there’s always going to be some naysayers. Whether their reasons are justified or not, they’re simply against what we’re trying to do.”
He added the club always prioritised transparency about its plans from the start.
“Since 2021, I have openly talked about this and so have the respective presidents of the club. We’ve said that we need to address this challenge, or this threat, to our ongoing viability. And the way we’re looking at doing this is through building a retirement village.”
Besides the retirement village, building a new clubhouse is also a practical move, Thomsen said. He described the current facility as a “hodgepodge” that’s become costly to run, with parts of the building over 60 years old.
“It’s well past its use-by date. We did some costings on trying to renovate and upgrade systems, but once you get into the core, such as the sprinkler system, the financial viability of that, it’s just counterproductive. You’re better off knocking the thing down.”