Housing Plan for Former Conservative Bowls Club
Developer argues that falling participation makes venue unviable
A visualisation of the proposed houses on Craven Road from the application documents
April 25, 2024
A proposal is being made to build six houses on the site of the former Ealing Conservative and Unionist Bowls Club on Craven Road.
Luxgrove Homes has submitted a planning application (241477FUL) for the 5-bedroom family properties.
It has presented a report with its submission which argues that the long-term decline in membership, in what became the Ealing Central United Bowls Club, made it unviable and alternative uses for sport and recreation at the site are impractical.
The club closed in early 2023 and the report quotes former Senior Trustee of the Club, Richard Roberts, as saying that it had a membership of 50 when he joined in 1977 but when it closed this had declined to 20 of whom only six player regularly.
Without the bar income which was a significant contributor to keeping the club going, particularly outside of May to September, when the sport isn’t played, there was a significant financial deficit and the Club Premises Certificate, that allowed the Club to have an alcohol licence, was contingent on a minimum membership of 25. An increase in energy costs in 2022 and a looming bill of £30,000 for repair of the clubhouse roof, compounded existing problems.
The former Ealing Conservative and Unionist Bowls Club. Picture: Google Streetview
Following the closure of ECUBC’s three rinks in 2023, there are now 36 operational rinks in the London Borough of Ealing, a reduction of 7.7%. 42 rinks owned by Ealing Council have been closed by Ealing Council in the last fifteen years including those in Pitshanger Park which were shut in 2021. 15 bowls clubs have closed in Ealing since 1989. There are now six greens remaining in the borough of which five are affiliated with England Bowls. These include the Brentham Bowls Club, Featherstone Bowls Club, North Greenford Bowling Club and Springfield (Acton) Bowls Club. The report states that all these clubs have ample capacity to take on new members.
Ealing Council’s preference is that the site remains dedicated to leisure activities, but the developer argues that a hard court surface would need to be installed and nearby residential properties would have issues with noise and floodlighting, limiting the hours of operation of any facility.
The disused green at the bowling club
The site lies on the eastern side of Craven Road, which runs North from Uxbridge Road to Craven Avenue. The rectangular parcel of land has a total area of 995 sqm / 0.099 ha and at its greatest depth is 42.8 metres and 29.0 metres at its greatest width.
Pre-application discussions have been held with the council last August and written advice from the planning department was sent in November of last year.
Luxgrove argues that the increase in housing stock would comply with the objectives of the Local Plan and the London Plan.
A visualisation of the proposed houses viewed from Craven Road
The proposed dwellings will provide 4-storeys of accommodation, with the fourth & part of the third floors set within the roof. The overall height of the dwellings would be of a similar height to the semi-detached dwellings along Craven Avenue.
If you wish to comment on the development visit the planning pages on the Ealing Council web site and search using reference: 241477FUL.
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