Bulli could soon be home to an open-air drinking and dining precinct, modelled on two Brisbane bar and entertainment hotspots, if a new plan lodged with Wollongong City Council gains support.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
The operators of the pop-up market operation The Jetty, recently lodged plans to turn the disused Bulli Bowling Club into a more permanent social gathering place.
At the centre of the plan is a proposal to install a large dome structure over the top of two shipping containers to house a series of dining and retail ventures, which would service an outdoor picnic area as well as undercover tables.
The venue would be licensed, the plans say, and could cater for up to 200 people.
The plan is an extension of an already approved market operation at the old Bowling Club which has not yet been activated, and a pop-up "glamping" operation - also called The Jetty - which has been operating there in some form since March (as pictured).
In the plans, the applicants have referred to X Cargo and Eat Street Northshore - two large open air Brisbane ventures - as an example of how The Jetty would operate.
However, the application also says that the Bulli proposal would not "operate as a beer garden or festival type environment".
"The operators are more than conscious of the location and context of the surround which is reflected in their intent to create a family friendly atmosphere with versatility within the space," the plans say.
As well as the shipping container structure, the plans also show a designated kids area and a potential outdoor cinema screen, as well as a community garden area.
This, the applicants said, could be used for 'plant to plate' dining, or be used by community groups as an interactive garden space when the site is open.
They would also consider opening up the shipping container faces for Wonderwalls-style art installations.
"This is considered to be a positive re-adaptive use of a dormant recreational space that would have once thrived to service bowling activities and family gatherings for decades as Bulli Bowling Club," the application said.
"The key focus ... is to create a place that brings people and small businesses together to collaborate and support and on which that has been successfully implemented in other parts of the country. The food and drink premises will act as the base offering to achieve this collaboration."
The Jetty would be open from the early morning (7.30am) on weekdays, and stay open to 11.30pm on Friday and Saturday nights, the application says.
The plans are open for comment until August 10.
