‘Golf courses are one of the biggest opportunities … if gov is willing to make brave decisions’

Calls are being made for “a bunch” of Melbourne golf courses — especially in one area — to be rezoned and sold off to developers, amid the state’s housing crisis. Do you agree? Take our poll.

A peak development body has called for more Victorian golf courses to be turned into residential estates in a bid to help solve the state’s housing crisis.

It comes as former Carlton football star turned property developer Fraser Brown snaps up the 70.4 hectare Cranbourne Golf Course for an estimated $190m. The land could sustain about 1350 new homes.

And in March this year, Perth based property development group Satterley announced it had finalised the purchase of the 53.4 hectare former Kingswood Golf Course in Dingley, for about $220m.

That tract of prime land has the capacity for about 800 homes, at a median lot price of about $440,000, chief executive Nigel Satterley said.

Former national president of the Urban Development Institute of Australia (UDIA) Max Shifman told the Herald Sun on Wednesday there were “a bunch of golf courses” in Melbourne’s southeast that were struggling financially but ideally situated, “infrastructure rich” and “the perfect locations to unlock much needed land for new housing”.

Cranbourne Golf Club has been sold for an estimated $190m.

Ex Carlton star Fraser Brown has snapped up the prime land, for housing development.

Many clubs were struggling to stay afloat as cost of living pressures hit their members hard, and they opted to give up their often expensive golf club memberships, he said.

“They (golf courses) are ripe for development and could be unlocked very quickly, which is what you need in a housing crisis — it just needs a bit of political will,” Mr Shifman, who is also CEO of one of Australia’s largest property developers, Intrapac, said.

“Golf courses represent an incredible opportunity in the midst of a housing crisis to develop affordable housing in typically quite established parts of Melbourne, where you’ve got infrastructure and amenities.”

He said a number of private, cash-strapped Victorian golf clubs had already sold to developers, and there were others keen to do so.

But — despite its grand plan to build 800,000 new homes across Victoria in the next decade — the Allan government was making it difficult for some clubs and developers to move forward with rezoning and sales, Mr Shifman said.

“In all honesty, the golf courses are one of the biggest opportunities we have, if government was actually willing to make some brave decisions,” he said, adding that while there was a lot of talk about trying to unlock Victorian land for new housing, little was being done to achieve that aim in reality.

Golf courses are one of the biggest opportunities for new Victorian housing, Mr Shifman believes. Picture: David Crosling

Mr Shifman said turning battling private golf courses into affordable housing was more equitable than keeping land locked up for use by just a privileged few.

“There’s a very large difference between the idea that you would rezone and redevelop public golf courses, because that’s public land and probably plays a different role to private golf courses (which are) tracts of land that are privately owned, and for members only and not really publicly accessible,” he said.

Mr Shifman said the requirement for new housing estates to have a percentage of public green space meant the land would become more accessible to ordinary Victorians than it was as a members-only golf course, “available to only those few people that play golf a couple of times a week”.

“So it’s not a net loss, it’s actually net gain for the community,” he said.

The 75-year-old, financially stricken 18-hole Rossdale Golf Club in Aspendale is one club desperately trying to rezone, so it can sell.

In a move it acknowledges on its website “will be a significant change, which may be of concern to local residents and community members” the club lists “various styles of housing” among the land’s possible future uses.

Battling Rossdale Golf Club in Aspendale in 2017 tried to open the golf course up to the community by bringing in bands and festival-type events. Picture: AAP

“The Rossdale Golf Club … has resolved to prepare a request to rezone the existing 43-hectare private golf course site in Aspendale and seek planning approvals to facilitate the redevelopment of the site,” a 2023 Rossdale Golf Course Redevelopment document states.

In a December 2023 update, Rossdale told its members a number of initial site assessments had been completed by specialists to provide an analysis of the site’s constraints, opportunities and key values, which would “ultimately inform options for a redevelopment concept”, but there had been delays in the process beyond its control.

Master Builders Victoria chief Michaela Lihou told the Herald Sun partial redevelopment of golf courses for housing needed to be explored, alongside “a greater discussion around planning”.

“It’s essential to approach this development with careful consideration to preserve local amenity and balance green space with appropriate development,” she said.

“The repurposing of golf courses for housing developments presents an opportunity to design buildings that maximise liveability and sustainability through passive design.

“While this is not the sole solution to our state’s housing needs, it is one option that should be considered to assist in addressing the housing shortage while considering existing planning overlays and environmental factors.”

Master Builders Victoria would also like to see the possibility of golf courses being turned into housing estates further explored. Picture: David Crosling

The Victorian government in 2020 released planning guidelines for the conversion of golf course land to other purposes, to “provide a clear and consistent pathway for golf course redevelopment”.

A Golf Course Redevelopment Standing Advisory Committee was also established to provide advice on proposals for the redevelopment of golf courses.

In 2016, the late Neville Pask bought the 67 hectare Kingston Links Golf Course for more than $60m, while Mirvac purchased The Eastern Golf Club in Doncaster for about $100m in 2011, for housing.

Fraser Brown also purchased Cranbourne’s former Amstel Golf Course in 2015 for about $40m, and developed it into a housing estate.

Brown has not responded to a request for comment.

A Victorian government spokesperson said ABS data released this month showed Victoria had approved more new homes than any other state or territory.

“Last year we introduced nation-leading housing reforms and we’ll continue to pull every lever we can to help industry build 800,000 homes over the next decade,” she said.

In September 2023, the Minister for Planning Sonya Kilkenny had approved Kingston Planning Scheme Amendment C199king to facilitate the rezoning of the Kingswood Golf Course, the government added.