Council Rejects Driving Range and Function Centre Proposal on Former North Lakes Golf Course Site

POSTED ON June 10, 2026 @ 1:56 pm

The City of Moreton Bay has officially refused a development application by JH Northlakes to construct a driving range, bar, and function centre on the former North Lakes golf course site. The decision comes nearly 11 months after the application was initially lodged.

According to official documents, the council concluded that the “proposed development cannot comply with, nor can it be conditioned to comply with, the applicable Assessment Benchmarks against which the application was required to be assessed.” Local planners noted that the proposal failed to comply with the Mango Hill Infrastructure Development Control Plan (DCP), which governs planning and development in North Lakes.

Reasons for Refusal

The detailed grounds for refusal were outlined in a ‘Decision Notice’ and an accompanying 41-page ‘Report Package’ published on the council’s DA Tracker. The key factors cited by the council include:

DCP Conflicts: Failure to provide “visual relief and aesthetic amenity” to the urban landscape or maintain a “high level of environmental quality.”
Scope of Use: The inclusion of facilities that go beyond the definition of “outdoor recreation” and are not “ancillary” to it as defined in the DCP. The council highlighted the planned hours of operation (until 10 p.m., seven days a week), a 246m² bar and seating area, a 260m² dedicated conference facility, and a 246m² commercial kitchen, stating these went “far from ‘light refreshments.'”
Environmental Impact: Poor opportunities for the protection and management of local vegetation and wildlife, specifically noting the proposed clearing of over 300 trees.
Rehabilitation Failure: A failure to provide for the environmental rehabilitation of the area.
Zoning Violations: A failure to limit buildings and parking spaces to the designated “Generalised Building and Car Parking Area” outlined in the Sector Plan.
Amenity Impacts: A failure to demonstrate that lighting and traffic impacts would not adversely impact the “amenity, safety and general well being of the surrounding area.”

Community Response and Next Steps

Community advocacy group Save North Lakes (SNLGC) issued a statement thanking the council for their “painstaking and thorough approach to reaching the decision.”

The application drew significant public opposition, generating over 300 submissions against the proposal. Representatives noted this was “an extraordinary result given it was not formally notified for consultation” and confirmed that the submissions were taken into account during the decision-making process.

The applicant now enters a 20-business-day window to lodge an appeal in the Planning and Environment Court, with the deadline set for July 6th. Community advocates emphasized that because the land remains privately owned, “the ball is well and truly in the Developer’s court.”

Monitoring Future Site Developments

Residents are being advised to remain vigilant regarding future uses of the land. SNLGC stated that its objective remains “to restore the land as a golf course, have it maintained as a golf course, as always intended, with a clubhouse and beautiful surrounding environment for everyone to enjoy.”

Additionally, community members are tracking a separate “School 2.0” proposal for the area, which has not yet appeared on the public register of Ministerial Infrastructure Designations (MID) applications.

Related News: