Royal Sydney Golf Club: Club requests permission from Woollahra Council for extended machine excavation hours

A prestigious eastern suburbs golf club embarking on a highly-anticipated $17m upgrade of its championship course is making moves to expedite the project.

General view of The Royal Sydney Golf Club in Sydney. Picture: Bianca De Marchi.

A prestigious eastern suburbs golf club has asked the council for extra allowances to speed up $17m upgrades planned for the 18-hole course at Rose Bay.

Royal Sydney Golf Club this month submitted an application to Woollahra Council to enable machine excavation to begin earlier in the day, citing the project’s unique characteristics.

The club has asked for amendments to the approved project to enable excavation from 7am-5pm on weekdays and 7am-9am on Saturdays, which would update current conditions limiting certain types of construction activities before 9am on weekdays and Saturdays, and after 4pm on weekdays.

The club’s contentious $17m overhaul was upheld in an appeal to the Land and Environment Court in December after the council’s local planning panel rejected the proposal in March 2022, citing concerns surrounding the removal of 595 established trees. The number of trees to be removed as part of the project was reduced in the approved plans.

Early works are expected to begin at Sydney Royal Golf Club in November.

The overhaul will involve upgrading the site’s greens, fairways and bunkers to cater for its 5900-plus members.

Early works at the site are expected to begin in November.

The championship club states in documents submitted to the council that by expanding the hours of machine excavation it would expedite the project, reducing the community impacts.

“Restricting the hours within which earthmoving and other works can be carried out will contribute to a significant extension of the overall time to construct the approved development,” the submission states.

Royal Sydney Golf Club, Rose Bay. Picture: Bianca De Marchi.

Council documents state council’s planning assessment officers advised variations to the standard conditions for all developments in the Woollahra local area could be approved only in “unique circumstances”.

The papers state council officers acknowledged the site and approved development presented “very different and unique circumstance to the typical development” in the council area, which could warrant the council’s consideration of varied construction hours.

Royal Sydney president Lucy Regan said the proposed modification would not detract from the club’s commitment to mitigate impacts on the neighbourhood and noted construction would not exceed existing traffic and noise in the area.

“The club is firmly committed to mitigating any potential impacts that the project may have on our neighbours, and approval of this modification will help minimise the length of the construction period and reduce the overall level of disruption,” Ms Regan said.