Kingswood Golf Course ‘poisoned’ as housing redevelopment looms
A Dingley Village golf course at the centre of a redevelopment battle has drawn even more controversy after advocates to save the land uncovered shocking images of grass poisoning. But the course’s owner has defended the work.
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Most of the grass at a former golf course at the centre of a five-year bitter redevelopment battle has been chemically killed off.
Shocking aerial images have emerged of the former lush green lawn at Dingley Village’s Kingswood golf course, which is brown and burned after being covered in toxic herbicide spray.
The landowners, property fund giant ISPT, say it is part of “regular maintenance” but angry neighbours have slammed it as a “scorched earth” policy and an “environmental disaster”.
ISPT bought the 53.4ha site in 2014 for $125 million and developer ASRP1 planned to build a minimum of 760 dwellings on the site.
But in October last year, Kingston councillors voted unanimously against a rezoning of the land for residential building.
ISPT’s Sawsan Howard assured angry residents the grass would “come back”.
“(The images) reflect the established process of using a herbicide to kill off the rough and spraying the fairway to control weeds before harvesting turf,” she said.
“Because the greens and tees are no longer in use, they have also been sprayed.
“Our groundskeeper advises this practice has occurred often at Kingswood and is a regular part of golf course maintenance.”
But long-time golfer Michael Benjamin, who was a member at Kingswood for more than 20 years, said he had never seen poisoning on the rough part of the green.
“It was only ever mowed,” he said.
A Save Kingswood Golf Club Inc member took the recent photos of the golf course, and secretary Kevin Poulter described the stained land as an “environmental disaster”.
He questioned the implications of the chemical spray on wildlife and neighbouring residents.
The area is home to more than 20,000 trees and hundreds of native and protected ground-dwellers, including echidnas and snakes.
Mr Poulter said the animals would be killed or forced into some of the course’s 140 neighbouring residences.
“We were assured that any future plans would involve much more community consultation and had every reason to expect the flora and fauna would be well looked after … instead there is scandalous pillage and poisoning beyond belief,” he said.
“The developers have no current use for some greens and tees, so they have used scorched earth techniques to wipe out the course … the government and council should act immediately to stop all this deharvestation and destruction.”
ISPT said October was the “optimal” time of year to get the “job” done otherwise it would have to source more rough cutters which would make the task more difficult.
“We are bound to maintain the condition of the course and to keep up the usual maintenance processes in doing so,” she said.
City of Kingston councillor Steve Staikos said he was “shocked” by management of the course and demanded the owners answer to the community.
“To see the grass sprayed that way … it’s a shocking act to poison grass like that,” he said.
“One of the things the owners should realise is the Dingley Village community is a very active community, particularly since the previous application for rezoning drew such an anaphylactic response.
“Anything that happens on that golf course is very closely monitored by the residents — a lot of people are very upset.”
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The images come two days after public submissions to the state government’s golf course standing advisory committee regarding the redevelopment of metropolitan golf courses closed.
Mr Poulter said he hoped the panel would take into account the 8000 objections Kingston Council received to rezoning the golf course for housing last year.
“Some golf course redevelopments might be an open and closed case, but it’s different with Kingswood,” he said.
“Our council is not OK with the change and our residents aren’t, either.”
The rezoning decision will now be made by Planning Minister Richard Wynne.