On the green at Federal Golf Club: long-time plans for a housing development on the course. Photo: Region.
A proposed planning change that would pave the way for Federal Golf Club to develop a retirement village on its Red Hill course should be thrown out, according to the Garran Residents Association.
Draft Territory Plan Variation 384 proposes to implement a key recommendation of the Integrated Plan for Red Hill Nature Reserve and Surrounds, to provide for a 125-bed retirement village on a southern portion of the course and new access road from Kitchener Street.
The association has always opposed the club’s longtime plans for a housing development on the course, ostensibly to secure its future, on environmental grounds and because of the loss of public land.
The integrated plan was the result of a 2017 Legislative Assembly resolution aimed at protecting the area and a long consultation process.
A swag of community groups signed off on it but the association, which has always opposed the retirement village proposal, says in a submission that the process was flawed, with the ACT Government ignoring the views of most Garran and Hughes residents in favour of a small unrepresentative group.
It says the plan suggests that development on the course would only proceed with “majority support” as per the Assembly resolution but the Government has gone ahead with DV384 despite admitting this was not the case.
“The Government’s own report on the consultation in developing the draft RHIP shows that majority community support for future development did not exist,” the submission says.
A map of the Federal Golf Club course, showing proposed development areas. Iamge: ACT Government.
The association says the development will impact known nesting and roosting sites for the emblematic Gang Gang Cockatoo and Superb Parrot, and threaten other endangered flora and fauna species, including Yellow Box woodland.
It says the land has not been mapped or bird populations surveyed, and is calling at the bare minium for buffer zones around nesting sites.
“The FGC engaged developer’s (MBark) own environment consultant admitted that the development will have a negative impact on the breeding of this endangered species ‘in the short term at least’,” the submission says.
The association says the retirement village will deliver a $20 million windfall profit to the club at public expense, far more than it needs to continue operating.
“The FGC has never provided the community with evidence these level of funds are required to address ongoing operational costs,” the submission says.
“DV384 is the result of a series of actions taken in direct contradiction to the wishes of the residents of Garran, and the stated resolution of the Legislative Assembly.
“DV384 is a direct threat to the habitat of endangered species known to reside in the proposed development footprint. And DV384 is an affront to the concept to fair governance, effectively gifting land dedicated to community recreation to a private business.”
DV384 will also rezone about 10 hectares of land in the north-western corner of the Federal Golf Course and add it to the Red Hill Nature Reserve.
Other groups such the Red Hill Regenerators backed the integrated plan because they believed it would bring certainty to the protection and management of the Red Hill area, and it struck a good balance between the environment, public amenity and limited development.
The club also plans to increase its water storage capacity to reduce the soaring cost of irrigation during dry periods.
Its plans were referred to the Commonwealth under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act for assessment but were not considered to be a controlled action.
Federal is but one of a number of golf and other clubs that are seeking to develop land to diversify income or generate funds to secure their futures.
Comments on DV384 close on 2 December.
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