Green light for plan to redevelop course

Andrew Mathieson
Geelong’s council has given a green light to 200 homes and 120 units on the former Geelong Golf Club site.
Council has voted to send Links Living’s development plan to state Planning Minister Rob Hulls for approval despite protests from some ex-club members.
They wanted council to knock back the plan, claiming Links Living would reap a $6.3 million windfall.
Links Living locked up the course after its first plan for a nine-hole course and residential development on the 18-hole site failed to win approval.
A majority of members had voted to sell the course to Links Living after the board warned them the club was almost bankrupt. Links Living paid $2.7 million in club debts and other costs. The deal also included non-transferable memberships at Torquay’s The Sands for all Geelong members.
Links withdrew the memberships offer after the failure of its plan. The company’s successful revised proposal scaled back the residential component but did not include memberships for either the Geelong course or The Sands.
Former club member Clyde McFarlane said the 630 withdrawn Sands memberships were worth $6.3 million.
He said Links Living still had to pay out the money under the Associations Incorp-oration Act and the club constitution, which would order the cash go to local charities.
But Cr Shane Dowling said before council’s vote on the proposal that the failure of the former club was the fault of its board and members.
“If we don’t approve the development, this golf course will be gone forever,” Cr Dowling said.
Cr Tony Ansett said it was “time to move on” after admitting he felt “helpless” to stop the project.
“This is the way of moving forward and getting a win,” Cr Ansett said.
Cr Kontelj, who voted against the proposal, said his support would have been conditional on preferential playing rights for ex-members when the course reopened.