Community & Business
26 April, 2023
MSC to buy Leagues Club land
THE land that houses the Mareeba Leagues Club building, car park, and grandstand will soon be owned by Mareeba Shire Council after it agreed to purchase the block from the State Government for $700,000.
Currently, the land in Doyle Street is leased by council and sub-leased to the Mareeba Leagues Club but that arrangement is due to expire in November this year.
In June 2021, the Depart-ment of Resources write to council seeking to determine whether council wanted to continue to lease the land or purchase it.
In October last year, council lodged a formal application to the department to convert the lease to freehold and received a formal valuation price of $797,753.77 (including GST).
At last week’s shire council meeting, there was clear support that this was the best way forward for both the council and leagues club.
CEO Peter Franks said if council had decided to continue to lease the land for the next 30 years, it would equate to $1 million.
“The amount of money to lease it would be more than the cost of buying the land,” he said.
Mayor Angela Toppin said the club wanted to expand the facility and having more security of tenure would allow the organisation to apply for loans or grants.
Deputy Mayor Kevin Davies said it was a positive move for the club, which now would have the comfort in knowing they would be dealing with the local authority and not the State in the future.
“They have big plans to improve that area - it’s looking good, the plans they’ve got, they are spending some money doing the plans and feasibility and it’s all looking very promising,” he said.
“This is just giving them another justification to keep moving forward,” he said.
Cr Danny Bird agreed, saying he thought it was “pretty good move”.
“It gives (the club) security of tenure which everyone needs,” he said
