A historic vote by Orange Ex-Services' and Wentworth Golf Club members to amalgamate is set to create major changes to the city's sports venues and clubs.
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Possibilities being considered include moving Orange's planned $25 million sporting precinct from north Orange to the Bloomfield site of the OESC's Country Club golf course which is set to eventually close after the amalgamation.
Board members of the two clubs will meet next week to begin working through the processes and legal requirements to achieve the amalgamation after members voted overwhelmingly at two separate meetings on Wednesday night to unite.
OESC president Graham Gentles said it was planned the amalgamated club's golfers would play at a revamped Wentworth course which would include a major, new clubhouse.
He said Wentworth would become a social club, similar to the Waratah Sports Club in north Orange, appealing to the wider community instead of just golfers.
"It is a social environment where there are a lot of new houses and a lot of young families," he said.
Mr Gentles said the land at Bloomfield was likely to become available for use by other groups including Orange City Council for expanded sporting facilities and the Orange Health Service for developing medical facilities next to the Orange hospital.
Orange City Council spokesman Nick Redmond said "all options are on the table" for the site of the new sporting precinct.
"It's early days with planning that concept. There are advantages with building on a greenfields site alongside the bypass," he said.
"There are also advantages with building on a site near Bloomfield, if it became available, where there's already access to power and water and other sporting fields. No decisions have been taken. All options are on the table.
"The health sector is already a significant employer in Orange and there is potential for that to expand. To do that, Orange City Council and NSW Planning have been developing a heath precinct masterplan to guide growth around Bloomfield."
Wentworth general manager James Bale said the amalgamation presented new opportunities. "We could rebuild the club but we couldn't put resources into the course, probably for a few years. I think our members were looking for something a bit quicker," he said.
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