Keysborough Golf Club in Melbourne’s south-east finds itself increasingly frustrated by what is believed to be Victorian government red tape following a decision by the club to ensure its survival by relocating to nearby Bangholme.
Club management want to secure its future and deliver first-class female and junior-friendly facilities by moving to the proposed new site.
“The new South-east Sporting Hub we intend to build will change Keysborough from an old’s man’s golf club to one pursuing the direction Golf Australia wants to take the game. That is to become very user friendly and inclusive for young people and women,” club captain Darrell Swindells told Inside Golf.
He said he cannot understand the Victorian Government’s tardiness in making the legislative change needed for the project to go ahead.
“It will incur virtually no cost to them in terms of infrastructure. It (the current golf course) is already there, in readiness for housing development in line with the government’s pledge to build 80,000 new homes.
“The new Bangholme project will also bring enormous benefits to the Greater City of Dandenong,” Swindells said
The Keysborough Golf Club, in its current site in the south-eastern suburbs of Melbourne.
Despite the course being surrounded by housing to its east, north and southwest, a historical anomaly that places it outside Victoria’s urban growth boundary means the club’s plans cannot proceed unless the legislative change is made.
This means a $1 billion project that would deliver 1200 affordable homes, dozens of community sporting fields and save one of Victoria’s oldest golf clubs which is at risk.
“A lot of non-elite clubs, and clubs around us, are just hanging on. If this project does not proceed, I fear for our future. The status quo is not sustainable over the long term,’’ Swindells said.
Despite needing to shift the boundary a few hundred metres, the state government has been accused by the City of Greater Dandenong of sitting on its hands.
With Victoria gripped by a housing crisis, Intrapac Property, the developer that wants to build homes on the current course, called on the government to act.
Intrapac chief executive Max Shifman told the Herald Sun newspaper the project would support 3000 jobs, a $100 million development of the new course, a $50 million sports precinct and add $1 billion of economic stimulus.
“At a time when apartment construction is faltering as it is too expensive to deliver affordable homes, the state government needs to look urgently at every opportunity to unlock land for other types of housing,’’ he said.
“We need the Allan government to immediately start a process to allow common-sense projects like the Keysborough Golf Club development to be assessed on their merits.’’
