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The former Newmarket home of the Carlton Bowling Club is for sale just as its former members prepare to begin a new chapter in the club's 114-year history.
The club sold the 23,188sq m property in Alpers Ave, under the viaduct, in 2001 for $5 million citing traffic noise from the motorway and dwindling membership as driving factors.
Since 2003 it has rented greens with the Rawhiti Club in Remuera while working out its future.
Club president Alan Crowe said yesterday it had been decided to amalgamate with the Cornwall Park club and redevelop that club's three greens and existing buildings.
An April move was planned to a new club which would be called Carlton Cornwall Bowls and would have about 70 members from Carlton and 50 from Cornwall Park.
"There is a terrible lot of interest in the new club and we are hoping to generate interest in bowls as a result of this development," said Mr Crowe.
The sale of the venue at Alpers Ave, its home since 1914, left the club with considerable capital for future use.
Real estate agent Barfoot & Thompson has advertised the old club's home for sale.
The company's Epsom branch said the sale was a rare opportunity to develop flat land of that size and location so close to Broadway shops.
With multiple freehold titles the property had three road frontages and a variety of uses.
The owner wished to remain anonymous.
A private school is presently using the buildings.
A spokesman for Auckland City Council said the property had two zones.
The residential 7a zone allowed for one unit per 200sq m with a 10m height limit while the 6a zone allowed one unit per 375sq m with an 8m height limit.
In some circumstances, if the development complied with the District Plan controls for the site then a resource consent may not even be required.
However, if a consent is needed, issues such as traffic and other potential environmental effects would be considered by the council's planning staff and/or the planning fixtures committee or hearing commissioners.
