Royal Sydney Golf Club: Residents vow to fight $17m overhaul at NSW Land and Environment Court
The conclusion of an almost three-year battle between Sydney’s richest golf club and furious residents could be just weeks away – as protesters accuse Royal Sydney of intimidation in its quest to push through a contested upgrade.
Wentworth Courier
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Protesters have accused Australia’s oldest golf club of bullying and harassment ahead of a final decision about the elite club’s $17 million development plans.
After three years of conflict, a battle between Royal Sydney Golf Club in Rose Bay and passionate residents and councillors in the eastern suburbs is likely to reach a decision in court in coming weeks.
Woollahra Greens councillor Nicola Grieve told the Wentworth Courier following a Land and Environment Court conciliation conference on Friday that the club had “attacked me personally” during the drawn-out affair.
“We’re continually being attacked through submissions from the golf course, from members who speak out against it. We have been attacked and ostracised,” Cr Grieve said.
Royal Sydney’s all-male executive who had appeared at council meetings had executed a strong response to widespread opposition. The club has refused to adapt plans that would both address community concerns and achieve its ambitions, she said.
“The sheer number of men there [at conciliation] could almost be seen as an intimidation tactic,” Cr Grieve said. “There had been “no [positive] engagement with the community as far as we can see,” she said.
The committed group of residents, including Cr Grieve, voiced concerns about the loss of wildlife, increased flood risk and lack of community consultation at the court conciliation conference at Woollahra Council Chambers.
The $17 million course upgrade was lodged with Woollahra Council in late 2019 and would involve upgrading the site’s greens, fairways and bunkers to cater for its 5900-plus members – along with the removal of some 600 mature trees.
The council’s planning panel most recently knocked back the development in March after receiving 358 submissions – finding the removal of 595 established trees as part of the project was not “justified”.
But in May, the club launched a legal challenge against the council.
Royal Sydney Golf Club has claimed the upgrades are necessary to prevent further deterioration of the grounds. The course has been closed for the past three weeks due to flooding.
Opponents reiterated their belief the promise to replace the established trees with native vegetation and new trees within a decade would fail to mitigate lasting damage to the suburb.
Nicolette Boaz, a Waverley resident, told the court development would threaten low-lying areas in Bondi and Rose Bay if the removal of mature trees which reduce flooding during heavy storms took place.
“Recent history should tell us what happens when trees are removed from flood-prone areas,” Ms Boaz said.
Another long-time opponent, mum of two, finance executive and Wires volunteer Eliana Leopold told the court the time frame given was “nowhere near enough time to enable a transition for new trees to mature.”
Ms Leopold told the court the club was using new environmental measures in its application as a smokescreen to distract from the tree loss.
Sammy Patton, a Royal Sydney club member, Rose Bay resident and horticulturist, told the court just 18 per cent of the club’s members attended an extraordinary meeting at Darling Harbour to gauge support for the plans.
Ms Patton said while she recognised urgent drainage issues at the club needed to be addressed, she called on the club to alter its plans in recognition of its impact on the neighbourhood beyond the green.
“The golf course is the lungs of Rose Bay,” she said.
A Royal Sydney Golf Club spokesman previously told the Wentworth Courier the club had been working closely with council officers to “further enhance the community benefits” of the development.
“While the Woollahra Local Planning Panel declined to approve the club’s DA application in March, we were heartened by and appreciated the panel’s strong support for … the proposal to prepare a master plan for the Royal Sydney Golf Course to guide its ongoing landscaping and future role of the golf course,” the spokesman said in a statement.
The Royal Sydney Golf Club was approached by the Wentworth Courier but declined to comment.
Cr Grieve reminded the court it was not considering a “normal DA.”
“The golf club is not an island,” Cr Grieve said.
The conciliation process is set to continue, and will continue to a hearing if an agreement is not met.
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