Backlash erupts as talks of popular golf course to be converted into cemetery

A handful of Labor MPs have erupted over swirling rumours one of Sydney’s oldest and most popular golf courses is set to be sliced up and redeveloped into a cemetery.

A rumoured plan to redevelop one of Sydney’s oldest and most popular golf courses into a cemetery, has prompted a local Labor MP to slam the idea.

Carnarvon Golf Club in Lidcombe, which was first established in 1927 and has more than 750 members and over 1000 non-members, is rumoured to have been earmarked for redevelopment to make way for a cemetery.

Spaces for burials in the capital city have become fewer and far between, prompting multiple sites to be poached and redeveloped to accommodate for the growing need for burial space.

Labor MPs have hit out at rumours that one of Sydney’s oldest golf courses could soon be partially hacked up and converted into a cemetery. Photo by: Newswire / Gaye Gerard

Kogarah Golf Course, located in Sydney’s southern suburbs, announced it would be closing its doors in March this year to make way for commercial offices, retail space and a hotel.

The 800 current members of Kogarah will be merged with Liverpool Golf Club, which is located 24km west of the original golf grounds.

Another site on the chopping block is Moore Park Golf Course, located in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, with plans to cut its course in half, leaving nine holes for golfers to enjoy and the remaining space for an inner city park.

Cammeray Golf Course, which opened in 1906, is also under threat, with the North Sydney council’s Open Space and Recreation report highlighting a “high priority” recommendation to “investigate alternative uses of (Cammeray) golf course”.

“An identified issue for the Cammeray catchment is the large amount of open space land locked up from the community in its current form as the Cammeray Golf Course,” the report read.

Multiple golf course are set to be converted into public parks and burial grounds as the city continues to expand. Photo by: Newswire / Gaye Gerard

The developments have been slammed by a handful of Labor MPs in the region.
“I’m not a fan of getting rid of the 18 holes at Moore Park,” Auburn MP Lynda Voltz told The Daily Telegraph of the proposed changes in late January.

“That sort of thing just makes courses unviable.”

Ms Voltz has also spoken out about the rumours of redeveloping Carnarvon Golf Course, which is located in her electorate, arguing changing one of the largest and busiest sporting precincts in the region would do more harm than good for the community.

“We are not going away and will use all available resources to save this working-class course,” the MP said on social media.

“It is so important these green spaces are maintained with the increasing development the Auburn electorate is facing.”

Labor MPs have hit out at rumours that one of Sydney’s oldest golf courses could soon be partially hacked up and converted into a cemetery. Photo by: Newswire / Gaye Gerard

She has launched an online petition to challenge the rumoured redevelopment, arguing the golf course “serves as a crucial recreational facility in an area with limited green spaces”.

“It is widely recognised as the leading golf course in the region, drawing visitors from both the diverse local community and the broader Sydney metropolitan area,’ the petition read.

“We argue that the government should prioritise the health and wellbeing of its citizens, acknowledge the long-term benefits to community health and fiscal sustainability, and avoid treating vital sporting facilities as expendable facilities.”

The objection has been bolstered by fellow Labor MP Julia Finn, who shared her support for her colleague on social media.

“Carnarvon Golf Course is under threat and my colleague Lynda Voltz MP is fighting to protect it,” the MP wrote on Facebook. “It’s a hugely popular golf course and an essential recreation facility.”

The NSW Minister for Sport and Lands and Property has pushed back on the proposal, arguing no decision had been made. Photo by: Newswire / Gaye Gerard

The golf club in Lidcombe, which still has a decade on its lease, hopes to stick around to celebrate its centenary in 2027.

“We have 10 years on our lease and the fact that we’re even being considered is obviously a concern,” Carnarvon Golf Club general manager Adam McGregor told 9News.

Speaking to The Daily Telegraph, a spokesman for the Minister for Sport and Lands and Property, Stephen Kemper, said no plans for redeveloping Carnarvon Golf Course had been confirmed.

“The NSW government has directed Crown cemetery operators to identify options to significantly increase the supply of new burial space in Sydney … Due diligence is being undertaken on a diverse range of sites,” the spokesman told the outlet.

“No decision has been made on any site.”

Originally published as Backlash erupts as talks of popular golf course to be converted into cemetery