High wire act fury
Nothing but barbs for ’ugly’ golf course fence
RESIDENTS living alongside one of the Gold Coast’s most exclusive golf courses are up in arms after a 2.25m barbed-wire fence was installed around its boundary.
Sanctuary Pines and Verandahs at the Pines residents on Santa Barbara Rd at Hope Island say the chain-wire fence, topped by three strands of barbed wire, is ugly and has the “very real” potential to harm wildlife.
According to fencing guidelines for the Gold Coast, fences can only be 2m high “above natural ground level before a Referral Agency Assessment application is required from the City of Gold Coast.”
Sanctuary Pines complex on-site manager Jason Buchanan claims Sanctuary Cove Primary Thoroughfare Body Corporate began installing the fence along The Pines Golf Course boundary a couple of weeks ago without consulting the community – and without council approval.
The entire fence will extend about 2km around the golf course, beginning on Caseys Rd, then running behind the houses on Santa Barbara Rd, Palladium Blvd and Rhodium Cres to Sickle Ave.
“We heard about a fence two years ago but had no official community consultation even back then,” he said. “Three or four weeks ago we were given notice that the fence would be installed … but we noticed the poles were really high and that’s when we were informed (by the fencers) that there would be three strands of barbed wire.”
Mr Buchanan claims that originally the club was going to put up a 1.8m black, steel pole fence, similar to the one that borders Caseys Rd. He said while this still wasn’t ideal, at least it did not have barbed wire.
“There are two reasons we’re not happy with it,” he said. “One, it doesn’t look very nice, and two, wildlife. We have thousands of birds and kangaroos that wander in and out of the complex. Barbed wire is not very conducive, people love their wildlife.”
Mr Buchanan said he would like the barbed wire to be removed and for there to be openings for wildlife to pass through.
He said if something could not be resolved, he would take the matter to court.
Dale St George of the Sanctuary Cove Primary Thoroughfare Body Corporate said the fence had been installed for the security of residents, and the golf course.
He said Sanctuary Cove residents had been consulted and that the fencing was always going to be chain-wire “to reduce the impact on their visual amenity.”