Peregian Springs Golf Club warns members land sale for housing subdivision crucial to club survival

The Peregian Springs Golf Club on the Sunshine Coast says it will be forced into liquidation unless its members agree to sell off a hectare of the course for a residential subdivision.

President Declan McCollam said developer Aveo had agreed to buy the parcel of land if an application to rezone it from recreational to residential was successful.

A public meeting will be held today and all of the golf club’s members must support the plan for it to proceed.

Mr McCollam said the sale was crucial to the club’s survival as it had been running at a substantial loss for more than a decade.

The Sunshine Coast Environment Council’s Narelle McCarthy said rezoning the parcel of land from recreational to residential was in conflict with the current town plan.

“Yes, we understand through various actions, that the community is concerned about this potential change to the use of the golf course and what they had believed would be in perpetuity sport and recreation and open space,” she said.

“So there is some concern about people wanting to know what is proposed and how it came about.”

Ms McCarthy said the land proposed for development was environmentally valuable.

“There are still some mature eucalypt trees, they’re hollow bearing trees, so they do provide wildlife habitat, and more importantly as well is the amenity and the natural amenity of the area, so it is important that these trees form part of the open space network,” she said.