The first round of community consultation on the former East Roseville Bowling Club has closed, beginning the next chapter for a Warrane Road site that was once earmarked for sale.
Residents had until 16 August to tell Ku-ring-gai Council what they value about the former bowling club at 47 Warrane Road, Roseville Chase, and what they would like to see there in future.
There was no ready-made design to approve or reject. Instead, Council sought ideas for the site, with possibilities including parkland and gardens, a playground, casual sporting areas and community facilities.
Those responses will now help shape a landscape masterplan for the property.
Council has not yet published the results of the first consultation phase, so it is too early to say which ideas attracted the strongest support. More community involvement is planned, including an on-site event and design walks in September and co-design workshops in November.
For a site that came close to heading in a very different direction, it marks quite a turnaround.
From Bowling Greens to a Fight Over Open Space
Bowls was played here for generations.
The East Roseville Bowling Club occupied the site until 2017, when declining membership and operational pressures led the club to leave Warrane Road and merge with Lindfield Bowling Club.
What remained was a property of just over one hectare, with three former bowling greens, a two-storey clubhouse, a small car park and a cottage.
The bowlers were gone, but the greens did not simply fall out of local life. Residents continued using the space informally, including for dog walking and recreation.
Then its future became considerably more contentious.
The site was rezoned from public recreation to R2 Low Density Residential in 2022. In April that year, Council resolved to sell the property, with proceeds proposed to help fund other community infrastructure.
Residents pushed back. A petition opposing the sale attracted almost 800 supporters, while locals argued that relatively flat open land was particularly valuable in this part of the Ku-ring-gai area.
Two years later, the direction changed.
In 2024, Council resolved to retain the entire Warrane Road property for existing and future public recreation needs. The site was subsequently reclassified as community land.
That means the conversation today is very different from the one Roseville-area residents were having only a few years ago.
The immediate question is no longer whether the former bowling club will be sold. It is what this substantial piece of community land should become.
Three Greens, Plenty of Possibilities
Council has deliberately kept the early conversation broad.
Ideas being considered include parkland, playgrounds, community gardens, picnic facilities, walking paths, community buildings and areas for casual sport.
There are practical constraints.
The former greens have drainage infrastructure beneath them. Parking is limited to about 20 cars, the clubhouse is not currently accessible to the public, a cottage on the property remains tenanted and existing trees will need to be worked around.
Access could also become part of the site’s future. One possibility being examined is a pedestrian connection between Warrane Road and Babbage Road, potentially making the former club useful as a link as well as a destination.
More intensive uses would be considerably more complicated. Council says proposals such as structured or formal sporting facilities could require rezoning or reclassification, potentially adding another 12 to 18 months to the process.
Next Round Moves Onto the Site
September should begin turning the broad wish list into something more tangible.
Council plans to hold an on-site event and design walks, allowing residents to consider ideas against the actual layout, trees, access and other constraints of the former club.
Co-design workshops are scheduled for November. A draft masterplan is then expected to go on public exhibition in early 2027, with Council aiming to adopt a final plan around the middle of the year.
Implementation could begin from mid-to-late 2027, subject to funding.
Almost a decade has passed since the last bowlers left Warrane Road. For much of that time, the debate centred on whether this patch of green would remain in public hands.
Now the conversation has moved on.
After years of uncertainty, the next argument may simply be over what Roseville-area residents want to put there.
Published 26-August-2026