Golf club plan in limbo
Locals ready for a fight over Arundel estate development
A development application which will turn the rundown Arundel Hills golf course into a $150m residential estate is poised to be rejected by Gold Coast City Council.
Planning officers have recommended a refusal to a change of use application which would see 380 houses providing homes for more than 1200 people on the 67ha site off Arundel Drive.
Documents reveal the development application received 1163 objections, most of them from nearby residents.
Only 119 submissions were made in support. Objectors were concerned about how the project would impact the amenity of their suburb, cause problems for wildlife and see the loss of critical sporting and recreation land.
Councillors will vote on the recommendation at a planning committee meeting on January 22 and three days later when full council meets for the first time this year.
Division 7 candidate Jenna Schroeder, who has spoken to Arundel residents about their concerns regarding the golf club since early 2023, predicts the development row will end in a court appeal.
“I’ve spoken to the developer numerous times to address residents’ concerns about dangerous trees and broken fencing on the site, after these were raised with me,” she said.
The tree-lined streets around the course were smashed by the Christmas Eve storm. The Arundel Hills Community Association is gearing up for future court action.
“It’s clear that the community’s fight to preserve the character and environmental value of Arundel Hills is far from over,” Ms Schroeder said.
“The committee knew this was a possible outcome and have been making their own preparations. It’s clear this fight will continue for a long time and I’ll continue to ensure their voices are heard and acted upon.”
Arundel Hills Golf Course Community Reference group committee member Jason Young in a video post described the officer’s recommendation as “an extremely encouraging result”.
“We will need to wait for council’s full vote on the DA and then await the developer’s response. The fight is likely to continue – you can’t replace green space,” he said.
The developer, Arundel Estate Developments Pty Ltd, had vowed to keep 7.97ha, or 59 per cent of the site’s existing koala habitat.
Zhongsheng Management, the company that previously owned and operated the golf club, was placed in external administration in May 2022.
The club had been left de serted and the facilities in disrepair with the site eventually sold. The developers in 2022 lodged a new master plan sparking widespread community debate.
Officers in their report said the development would see the clearing of 77,800sq m of general and medium priority vegetation including 1150 nonjuvenile koala habitat trees.
“Submitters detailed the various environmental values of the site, including wildlife that use the site for habitat and movement, which would be severely impacted by the proposal,” officers wrote.
City officers acknowledged that the impacted residential properties do not “own the view” over the subject site, however amenity and residential character was a key assessment criteria.
“The proposed residential density is significantly out of character with the established character of the existing residential neighbourhood,” officers wrote.
Officers said the subject site was a privately owned, non-operational golf course, previously the Arundel Hills Country Club, located within the sport and recreation zone.
“The proposal involves the removal of the sport and recreation function and values of the site, and the loss of sport and recreation zoned land within the City,” officers wrote.
City officers undertook a site inspection in April 2023 where they said it was evident the site represented an essential refuge for wildlife within the urban area with high numbers of eastern grey kangaroos, active bird nests, habitat trees, waterways and koala scats identified.
It’s clear that the community’s fight to preserve the character and environmental value of Arundel Hills is far from over
Division 7 candidate Jenna Schroeder