Mega bowls club proposed

Planning for a merger of Palmerston North’s bowls clubs into a new multi-sport centre has become urgent, with the Terrace End club quitting its site at the end of the 2019-20 season.

The city council is already considering how else the Summerhays St property could be developed, while the clubs want the council to tell them if there are planning issues that would rule out Hokowhitu, Northern or Takaro as the home for a new super-base.

Takaro Sports Club member Philip Meads has led a deputation, including Bruce Wood from Terrace End and Rob Thomson from the Palmerston North club, to talk to the council’s sports and recreation committee this week.

He said the combined clubs’ memberships had fallen below 350. That meant the city’s 13 bowling greens were well beyond the four needed for those numbers.

The Palmerston North club, which owns its property on Linton St, was a party to the planning and was likely to continue as one of two bowling sites in future.

The new plan would include a covered synthetic green to cater for bowling in all weather conditions and to help attract national fixtures, and include other sports, with potential for a combined membership of more than 2000.

Meads said the development was likely to cost about $1 million. The clubs would fundraise, but hoped the city council would contribute using some of the possible proceeds of the sale or subdivision or development of the Terrace End site.

He said they also wanted to know which of the three sites, all on reserves, the council would prefer to see used for the multisport centre.

Acting property manager Bryce Hosking said it was impossible to answer that question until the clubs said exactly what they wanted, including details about the size of additional buildings and how many car parks were needed.

The committee has asked staff and the clubs to report back on progress in June.