Kogarah Golf Club to merge with Liverpool Golf Club ahead of contentious redevelopment
Two Sydney golf clubs are set to merge after contentious plans were released to shut down one of the sites to make way for a high-rise warehouse and hotel development.
St George Shire Standard
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Two Sydney golf clubs are set to merge after contentious plans were released to shut down one of the courses to make way for a high-rise warehouse and hotel development.
Kogarah and Liverpool Golf Clubs have sent letters to members confirming plans to amalgamate the two clubs as part of a major deal that is set to see about 800 golfing memberships transferred from Kogarah to Liverpool in the city’s southwest.
Liverpool Golf Club general manager Peter Summers confirmed a principal agreement had been secured between the clubs, with work underway on a memorandum of understanding which members will have an opportunity to vote on before the deal is finalised.
The merger comes just eight weeks after the Department of Planning approved a gateway determination for a major redevelopment of the Kogarah Golf Club which will involve the permanent closure of the historic golfing greens in Arncliffe.
The development includes turning the club into a five-storey logistics and warehouse hub alongside a 12-storey tourist accommodation tower and an eight-storey office and retail building.
Club members from Kogarah believe the merger will result in their club memberships transferred to the Liverpool club – a 24km drive west of their current club – once development works begin.
A letter sent by the Kogarah Golf Club to members stated a key consideration in selecting Liverpool as its preferred merger partner including its capacity to accommodate Kogarah Golf Club members and the quality of its course.
“Having reviewed the expressions of interest, the board has resolved that the Liverpool Golf Club is the preferred club for amalgamation because they have the capacity of accommodate Kogarah Golf Club members, own their land, have an excellent golf course layout with capacity to improve wet weather playability, opportunities for beneficial future investment and strong compatibility of the respective memberships.”
The memorandum of understanding includes investigating a potential new name for the amalgamated clubs, providing offers of employment for existing Kogarah Golf Club staff, and a new constitution for the amalgamated clubs.
Mr Summers said “our members are happy about the outcome” but recognised the merger was a “sensitive topic” for Kogarah members and officials.
One member of the Kogarah club, who asked not to be named, believes the merger will result in an exodus of members due to the geographical disconnect between Arncliffe and Liverpool.
“We’ve paid our membership fees but haven’t been given a say in the process,” he said.
“We would have been off joining Bonnie Doon or Eastlakes in our catchments. We’re not going to drive to Liverpool.”
The Kogarah Golf Course currently operates within freehold privately owned land under the ownership of Bayside Council.
A 7.5ha section of the golf club is currently being used as a construction compound for WestConnex M8 tunnelling works which will continue until 2025 at which point about 1.5ha of land will become a permanent Arncliffe Motorway Operations Complex.
The club’s development plans state the disruption of WestConnex was a leading factor behind the decision to close the club for redevelopment.
“Quite simply the club cannot hope to maintain a viable membership on such a reduced course for the duration of WestConnex works,” it states.
“In order to minimise our exposure to WestConnex and to facilitate a quicker relocation, it is proposed that members will relocate to the new site at the completion of the first stage (of the redevelopment).”
The Kogarah Golf Club declined to comment on the merger, saying we “don’t deal with club business in newspapers.”
The redevelopment of the site is being led by Cook Cove Inlet Pty Ltd, a subsidiary of John Boyd Properties.
Plan state the development would create about 3300 jobs and provide key warehouse and accommodation infrastructure close to Sydney Airport and Port Botany.
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