Golf plan

By Kath Gannaway
Yarra Ranges Council had approved plans which would enable Eastern Golf Club to relocate from Doncaster to a 240 hectare property on the west side of Victoria Road, Yering.
Eastern Golf Club general manager Benjamin Telley has expressed disappointment in the decision, accusing opponents of the project of running a fear campaign.
However, he said there were many positives the club could draw on from the decision.
The proposed $70 million development plan comprised two golf courses, a clubhouse, function centre, accommodation and a 11.7 hectare turf farm.
The land is partly within the Yarra River floodplain, which gave rise to concerns by Friends of the Earth, Healesville Environment Watch and independent objector Bill Boerkamp.
VCAT senior member Margaret Baird and member Geoffrey Code heard from 16 experts, including engineers, ecologists, scientists, a traffic engineer and town planners, as well as legal representatives for the objectors, the golf club, Melbourne Water and Yarra Ranges Council during the nine day hearing.
The VCAT members overturned Yarra Ranges Council’s decision to grant the planning permit, saying while the golf course opponents had not persuaded them to reject the proposal on a number of grounds, they had been persuaded on the basis that more stringent permit conditions would be required in respect of the use of biocides.
They said more stringent conditions could in fact enhance the environmental values of the Yarra River compared to its existing unregulated agricultural use and the lack of any riparian corridor.
Other concerns included planning considerations around an evacuation route during floods.
“Outstanding issues with respect to works within the floodplain are not minor and not without potential consequences,” they said.
Friends of the Earth spokesman Anthony Amis questioned why it had fallen to community groups to highlight what he said was a glaring omission in the approved plans.
“It is incredible Yarra Ranges Shire Council, Melbourne Water, Greg Norman Course Design and numerous consultants would have contemplated access to a site through five metres of potential floodwater,” he said.
Mr Telley said the tribunal’s outstanding concerns focused on design for a one in a 100 year flood event in relation to an evacuation route and raising the floor level of a number of buildings to clear the flood level.
He said the decision and comments would be the reference point for any future application by the club.