Arundel Hills Country Club: Developer 3Group secures big step forward for $150m golf club redevelopment

A leading Gold Coast councillor has responded to the developer behind the controversial $150m redevelopment of a once-popular Gold Coast golf club, saying their approval claim is “premature”.

The Queensland State Government has granted conditional approval to the $150 million Arundel Country Club redevelopment into a housing and sporting hub.

The government has notified developer 3 Group it is satisfied with its Arundel Estate masterplan proposal, particularly plans dedicating a significant portion of the 67-hectare site to open space and koala habitat.

3 Group says its proposal will create more than 380 houses and become home to more than 1200 people.

But long-serving councillor William Owen-Jones said there was still a long way to go before the project was given the green light.

“The truth is the State is a referral agency to the application and the decision rests with the city,” he said.

“When the state has referral advice on planning application, it is incorporated into the City officer assessment.

“These SARA advice notices happen all the time - it is a normal part of the assessment process, it’s completely premature for anyone to think this is an “approval” (…if the State appointed “advisor” was able to discuss these matters with residents they would say exactly the same thing‍️).”

Artist impressions of Arundel Hills Country club redevelopment. Picture: Supplied.

In a letter to the company’s town planners, the State Assessment Referral Agency (SARA) said it was satisfied with the proposal based on certain conditions being met in relation to traffic management, koala habitat and preservation of vegetation.

The project will now go before the Gold Coast City Council for approval.

3 Group boss Steven Kleytman said the state’s decision opened the door to work beginning once the city council gives the project the green light.

“The State Government’s conditional approval of this vital development is a very welcome turn of events that demonstrates the merits of what we are proposing,” he said.

Steven Kleytman of 3Group, the developer behind plans for the Arundel Hills Country Club site. Picture: Supplied.

“We sought town planning advice in relation to our proposal to create a sustainable redevelopment of the abandoned Arundel Hills Country Club and this proposal, subject to conditions, has been approved by the Queensland government.

“The conditional approval by SARA is a significant validation of the proposal although it is still subject to consideration by the Gold Coast City Council.”

Conditions put on the project in the approval include:

* Preparing a detailed koala management plan, including the planting of at least 2,257 koala habitat trees on site;

* Educating landowners about living in an area with koalas;

* Providing koala-friendly measures such as koala-awareness signage, koala-safe road crossing measures, a koala-friendly underpass, one-way koala exclusion fencing and traffic calming devices;

* Transferring ownership to council of the area specifically identified as a sports and recreation park in the master plan.

* Upgrading the Brisbane Road-Arundel Drive intersection.

* Providing internal pedestrian connections.

Artist impressions of Arundel Hills Country club redevelopment. Picture: Supplied.

The developer lodged its masterplan with the council in early 2023 and will unveil its detailed project plans once it is approved.

It is expected to go before the council’s planning committee before Christmas.

Zhongsheng Management, the company which previously owned and operated the golf club, was placed in external administration in May 2022.

The developer is now vowing to keep 7.97ha, or 59 per cent of the site’s existing koala habitat.

Some of the site will be granted to the neighbouring A.B Patterson College, which will become a sporting hub open to the community.