Go_Moltzen
Member
_**If story below is factual I am disgusted!**_
Balmain Leagues Club settles dispute with Rozelle Village
**Leesha McKenny** August 22, 2014 - http://m.brisbanetimes.com.au/nsw/balmain-leagues-club-settles-dispute-with-rozelle-village-20140822-107cnd.html
The Balmain Leagues Club has settled its dispute with developer Rozelle Village, five months after its injunction to prevent any bid to place the club into receivership.
**An intriguing detail of the agreement stipulates the club must hand over "copies of any correspondence, emails, text messages, invoices, reports or other written material" it has received from developer Benny Elias in the past 12 months.\
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Documents obtained by Fairfax Media reveal the Balmain Tigers rugby league legend appears to have been receiving monthly payments of more than $21,000 from the club, despite walking away from Rozelle Village in August last year and holding no formal role with the club since 2009.**
The club's spokesman Danny Munk said the amount was an ongoing "administration fee" it was required to pay under a contractual arrangement with Rozelle Village.
"We've been instructed by Rozelle Village to make payments that we owe them to Ben Elias," he said.
Rozelle Village was a joint venture between Mr Elias and Ian Wright when it bought the financially embattled club's headquarters for $1 in 2009 in return for taking over its debts of $23.5 million.
A new clubhouse was part of Rozelle Village's controversial high-rise redevelopment bid, which was killed off by planning authorities in April.
Mr Wright, who has fallen out with his former business partner, said the administration fee was negotiated by Mr Elias and "Rozelle Village wanted nothing to do with it".
"[Rozelle Village] directed the club, if it felt it was obliged to make the payments, that they weren't to be made to Rozelle Village, they were to be made to Elias," he said.
**Mr Elias declined to comment.**
The club, which sought the Supreme Court injunction in March, withdrew its legal action when it reached an agreement with Rozelle Village on Friday.
In a joint statement with Rozelle Village, the club said they would both work with Leichhardt Council "to find a solution to their development concerns which have prevented the club from returning to its heartland at Rozelle".
"The only solution to facilitate a return of the Club to Rozelle is a planning solution, and it is vital that Leichhardt Council become part of that solution," Mr Munk said.
According to the new terms, the club's right to lease premises at the site may be terminated if development consent is not granted by a "sunset date" of November 29 next year.
But Mr Wright said the relationship with the club was "back on track" and both were committed to proceed with plans to develop the Victoria Road site.
"It has always been our preference to work with the Balmain Leagues Club through its financial situation and facilitate its return to a new Club at Rozelle," Mr Wright said.
Leichhardt's mayor Darcy Byrne welcomed the agreement, saying "it's not too late for the developer to compromise and propose a much smaller scale development".
"Rozelle Village's last three development proposals have been rejected by the State Government due to concerns they would have brought traffic on Victoria Rd to a standstill," Cr Byrne said.
"The Council, the developer and the State Government should now act responsibly to achieve a sensible redevelopment that won't turn Rozelle into Bondi Junction."
Balmain Leagues Club settles dispute with Rozelle Village
**Leesha McKenny** August 22, 2014 - http://m.brisbanetimes.com.au/nsw/balmain-leagues-club-settles-dispute-with-rozelle-village-20140822-107cnd.html
The Balmain Leagues Club has settled its dispute with developer Rozelle Village, five months after its injunction to prevent any bid to place the club into receivership.
**An intriguing detail of the agreement stipulates the club must hand over "copies of any correspondence, emails, text messages, invoices, reports or other written material" it has received from developer Benny Elias in the past 12 months.\
\
Documents obtained by Fairfax Media reveal the Balmain Tigers rugby league legend appears to have been receiving monthly payments of more than $21,000 from the club, despite walking away from Rozelle Village in August last year and holding no formal role with the club since 2009.**
The club's spokesman Danny Munk said the amount was an ongoing "administration fee" it was required to pay under a contractual arrangement with Rozelle Village.
"We've been instructed by Rozelle Village to make payments that we owe them to Ben Elias," he said.
Rozelle Village was a joint venture between Mr Elias and Ian Wright when it bought the financially embattled club's headquarters for $1 in 2009 in return for taking over its debts of $23.5 million.
A new clubhouse was part of Rozelle Village's controversial high-rise redevelopment bid, which was killed off by planning authorities in April.
Mr Wright, who has fallen out with his former business partner, said the administration fee was negotiated by Mr Elias and "Rozelle Village wanted nothing to do with it".
"[Rozelle Village] directed the club, if it felt it was obliged to make the payments, that they weren't to be made to Rozelle Village, they were to be made to Elias," he said.
**Mr Elias declined to comment.**
The club, which sought the Supreme Court injunction in March, withdrew its legal action when it reached an agreement with Rozelle Village on Friday.
In a joint statement with Rozelle Village, the club said they would both work with Leichhardt Council "to find a solution to their development concerns which have prevented the club from returning to its heartland at Rozelle".
"The only solution to facilitate a return of the Club to Rozelle is a planning solution, and it is vital that Leichhardt Council become part of that solution," Mr Munk said.
According to the new terms, the club's right to lease premises at the site may be terminated if development consent is not granted by a "sunset date" of November 29 next year.
But Mr Wright said the relationship with the club was "back on track" and both were committed to proceed with plans to develop the Victoria Road site.
"It has always been our preference to work with the Balmain Leagues Club through its financial situation and facilitate its return to a new Club at Rozelle," Mr Wright said.
Leichhardt's mayor Darcy Byrne welcomed the agreement, saying "it's not too late for the developer to compromise and propose a much smaller scale development".
"Rozelle Village's last three development proposals have been rejected by the State Government due to concerns they would have brought traffic on Victoria Rd to a standstill," Cr Byrne said.
"The Council, the developer and the State Government should now act responsibly to achieve a sensible redevelopment that won't turn Rozelle into Bondi Junction."
