Bulum Group opens consultation on former Canberra City Bowling Club site in Braddon, ahead of development application

The developer wants to build 78 serviced apartments on half of the block at 20 Farrer Street, opposite Ainslie School, and expects to lodge a development application early next year following community consultation.

The accommodation would be a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom units, including penthouses and studio style apartments, with a central courtyard, swimming pool, small dining facility and cabanas also incorporated.

Two basement levels would provide 107 car parking spaces, with the entry/exit to be off Farrer Street.

An application to subdivide the site was approved earlier this year, making the other half of the block, closest to Elder Street, eligible to host a 1232-square-metre childcare centre.

Nik Bulum purchased the block in 2015 and the following year detailed his vision for a "vibrant community hub" featuring a restaurant, new resort-style pool, free outdoor cinema, day spa and boutique hotel.

He also planned to host a temporary hospitality venture at the site, offering 80s inspired cuisine, drinks and entertainment between the hours of 10am until 11pm.

But these plans met opposition from the Ainslie School Board, with the chair at the time expressing concerns it could potentially cause vandalism, antisocial behaviour, smoking and sexual activity on the neighbouring school grounds.

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At least 20 unsigned posters also appeared on the street urging the community to contest Bulum Group's liquor license under a heading reading "our quiet street is going to be turned into a nightmare".

The posters claimed Mr Bulum's hospitality venture would drive up crime, noise and littering.

Mr Bulum said at the time the claims were "ludicrous," "judgemental" and "discriminatory", and could potentially damage his business and reputation.

The project has since stalled, with no activity at the site after the closure of the Canberra City Bowls Club in 2018.

"Since then the site has been vacant and not contributing positively to the local character," a community consultation website prepared by Purdon notes.

The new plans, designed by KUD Architects, would see the facade constructed with a mix of black metal panels, exposed concrete and brick style veneer, as well as landscaped stepped balconies.

The four-storey building has been designed to reduce the bulk, scale and overall height perception when viewed from Farrer Street.

"This is achieved by a highly stepped front facade with eclectic windows and a setback fourth storey," Purdon Planning's proposal reads.

A traffic report prepared by a consultant found that at full capacity the proposal would generate "in the order of 234 vehicle movements per day", which it noted was "considered low in traffic engineering terms and is equivalent to around 1 vehicle movement every 2 minutes, on average, during the peak periods".

The same report found that the proposal fell short of an overall required 116 car parks by nine spaces, but that these spaces could be supplemented by on-street parking within 200 metres of the development.

Community consultation will be open until December 16, with four sessions to be held online by Purdon.

More information is available here.

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