Seniors home approved for Cumberland Country Golf Course site at Greystanes

A ritzy new clubhouse, 230 units, a cafe and a wellness centre will transform a premium retiree golf course site in Sydney’s west after getting the go-ahead. Take a look.

Cumberland Golf Club development will have 440m of frontage on Old Prospect Rd.

A ritzy new clubhouse, units for seniors and an aged care centre with up to 50 beds will be developed on the Cumberland Country Golf Course site at Greystanes after the $160m proposal received a green light from the state government.

The Planning Department’s approval for the project at Old Prospect Rd also paves the way for a cafe, a wellness centre with an indoor heated pool, and health and consulting rooms alongside 230 independent living units and an aged care facility to house between 30 and 50 beds.

Investors Pariter and Cumberland Country Golf Club will develop the northern edge of the 18-hole course, which will be reconfigured as part of the project at the 88-year-old club.

A three-storey golf clubhouse will replace the existing headquarters, which was built in the 1960s and experiencing increased maintenance costs.

The apartments will be inside six buildings between five and seven storeys.

Construction will begin in 2026.

The development is expected to deliver 190 construction jobs and 80 operational jobs.

Pariter development director Vanessa Hammer welcomed the approval for the facility, which will also have a cinema and gym.

The 18-hole golf course will be reconfigured to make way for the homes and new three-storey clubhouse.

Cumberland Country Golf Club president Denis Clifford said the project secured a strong future for the club’s 2600 members and a new generation of residents.

“The project responds to strong and growing demand for retirement living in the region,’’ he said.

However, the plans drew criticism over concerns it was an eyesore, encroached on neighbours’ privacy and would generate more traffic congestion.

Linda Cook said the construction would vastly change the outlook for residents living on Old Prospect Rd.

Apartment blocks range from five to seven storeys.

“We will go from a nice outlook to one with nothing but suburbia in view,’’ she said.

“It will also crowd the area and lead to issues with traffic and parking.’’

Fellow objector Anne Carr said elevating the height to seven storeys would change Greystanes’ character, and expressed concerns over more traffic.

“The additional traffic will affect the lifestyle of us residents in Kootingal, Karuah (streets) and Kalang (Rd),’’ she said.

“Old Prospect Rd is an extremely busy road. There are four schools nearby which impacts the traffic flow in school pick up/drop off times. The additional access onto Old Prospect Rd, near Brighton St will cause traffic chaos.’’

Graham Luckman complained that residents’ traffic concerns during public consultation were dismissed, including increased traffic in “very narrow” Kootingal St and no access from Brighton St.

Another resident said Greystanes and Pemulwuy were already saturated with aged care and retirement homes and listed six in the community.

The facility will have a gym, cinema and indoor heated pool

In response, planners said a minimum of 12m would separate buildings to maintain privacy, while plants and balustrades would ensure a “high level of privacy” for the residents of the proposed development and the adjacent residential area.

The taller buildings will be set back further from the existing residences.

In response to traffic concerns, planners said traffic studies showed that, after taking into consideration a 2 per cent traffic growth rate, the Kootingal St-Old Prospect Rd intersection would “continue to perform at acceptable levels of service” in morning and afternoon peak hours.

Within an 800m radius of the site, 13.8 per cent of residents are aged 70 to 84, compared with 7.6 per cent in that age group living within 10km of the site.

“Greystanes itself is home to a particularly high population of older residents, highlighting the strong market need for high-quality, connected retirement living solutions,’’ Mr Clifford said.

The club’s carpark will expand to accommodate 220 spaces – 47 more than present – while the seniors village will have 292 spaces.

The apartment mix will comprise 13 one-bedroom units, 127 with two bedrooms and 94 with three bedrooms.

Construction is expected to begin in 2026.