Moore Park golf course: Councillors swing into action against Clover Moore

City of Sydney councillors claim Lord Mayor Clover Moore has misled the public on her plan to halve Moore Park Golf Course

A league of councillors is planning to tee off against Lord Mayor Clover Moore’s bid to halve the publicly owned Moore Park golf course to make space for parkland in a crucial motion next Monday as opponents accuse the mayor of using misinformation in public consultation.

Under the proposal, the City of Sydney would halve Moore Park Golf Club from an 18-hole to a nine-hole course, which would then be adjoined by 20ha of public parkland to meet “open space needs” for the inner-city’s growing population.

But the $50,000 public consultation process has come under fire, with councillors saying the Lord Mayor has misled the public with inaccurate information and the consultation should be scrapped.

People playing golf at Moore Park golf Course. Picture: Damian Shaw

Independent councillor Kerryn Phelps said pamphlets distributed in the local area claim that within a 10km radius there are twelve 18-hole courses in the area — and six that are open to the public.

But in a list seen by The Daily Telegraph, two are nine-hole courses, one has its books closed and six are prohibitively expensive to play at.

Bondi Golf Club and Woollahra are both only nine-hole golf courses, Eastlakes has its books closed for full members and The NSW Golf Club, The Lakes Golf Club, Australian Golf Club and Royal Sydney cost almost $30,000 to join, while Bonnie Doon and St Michael’s cost between $10,000 and $20,000, compared to the $2500 membership fee at Moore Park.

Moore Park Golf Club director Karen Janik , amateur golfer Lucy Quillam and Moore Park Golf Club director John Janik are against the plan. Picture: Richard Dobson

“The consultation is based on misinformation. The information given to councillors in a minute was also wrong,” Dr Phelps said.

She is calling on council to halt spending $50,000 for community consultation on the plan and issue a retraction and correction of the information — but council has only agreed to “adjust the information.”

Liberal councillor Christine Forster said it is not good enough that the information is incorrect.

A motion submitted to council ahead of the December 14 vote seeks to abandon the plan and look at other ways to boost green space.