Logan council secret meeting to discuss Meadowbrook Golf Club’s $24m lawsuit after sewer pipe chaos
A $24 million court case against a southside council which ripped up a golf course to put down sewer pipes will be discussed in a secret meeting this week. WATCH OUR VIDEO
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A southside council will hold a closed-door meeting this week to discuss a multimillion-dollar lawsuit brought by a golf club, which claims the council deliberately subjected it to a decade of financial turmoil.
Logan City Council will also discuss the Meadowbrook Country Golf Club’s request for a gaming licence to run 50 pokie machines.
Australian Golf Management Corporation, which operates the golf course, took Logan City Council to court in 2019, suing for $24 million in damages and loss of reputation chalked up since 2013.
The club said its business, and that of a previous tenant, was devastated because the council took five years to rip up the links and put down sewer pipes, shutting parts of the course from 2011 to 2016.
In an effort to turn around its dwindling financial woes after the pipeline works and during the court case, the course operator has built a state-of-the-art driving range, training school, a mini-golf course, opened a wedding and restaurant venue and bought 60 electric golf carts.
The club members also applied to the Office of Liquor And Gaming Regulation to install the pokie machines at the Meadowbrook site, owned by the council but under a 90-year lease with the club.
Club management said the council was continuing to thwart its business after taking six months to assess the gaming licence application and engaging lawyers.
Councillors, including the mayor, have said they do not know about the matter before the court and would not speak about Wednesday’s closed-door discussions.
Logan City Council also had no comment on how much compensation was paid to the previous golf club tenant for digging up the golf course and closing the links.
It also did not respond to questions about the failure of out-of-court negotiations and claims that councillors had been threatened with disciplinary action if they spoke publicly on the issue.
Other questions about a sewer drilling machine still missing on the golf course land and a 2017 council master plan showing designs for offices and residential buildings on the golf course land were also not answered.
“Supreme Court of Queensland proceedings in relation to this matter have been commenced by the Australian Golf Management Corporation against Logan City Council,” a council statement said.
“As the matter is currently before the court, it would be inappropriate for council to comment further, other than to confirm that council is a defendant to the action brought by AGMC, which is represented by lawyers.
“While there was an initial mediation after proceedings were commenced, AGMC has since taken steps to progress the matter through the court.
“Council is responding to those steps as a defendant.”
Meadowbrook Golf Club managing director Tom Linskey said he had endured 10 years of hell over the compensation claim but was at wits’ end over the council’s lack of response over the gaming licence.
Mr Linskey said after the state’s Office of Liquor And Gaming Regulation approved gaming licences, further consent from a council was a formality.
He said he had hoped the compensation case would have been resolved and approval for the pokies faster.
He said he was dismayed that the club’s olive branch had been rejected and with the ridiculous waste of ratepayer money.
“We have a lease with the council for the use of this land for 90 years so we are not going anywhere,” Mr Linskey said.
“The five years of disruption while the council did the sewer works sent a tenant bankrupt but that is not going to happen again.
“We have made many overtures for mediation out of court to settle the compensation claim which looked like being successful with council officers.
“We even offered the council a way out with them paying a minimal amount in compensation to the golf club members to use on upgrading the facility, which is on council land.”
The council meeting starts at 9.30am on Wednesday.
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