Phase 2 Consultation Concludes
Our thanks to all who attended our webinar and drop in sessions during July and August 2024, and to those who have posted comments below. We are currently compiling all the feedback and will provide a summary shortly. In the meantime if you have any more feedback on our plans, please now email them directly to the Project Team at info@yourfuturerossdale.com.au.
Recent feedback
Thank you for the feedback so far. Over 60 people attended our drop in session in July 2024 at the Golf Club. A similar number attended the webinar also in July and we have received many comments on the Get Involved page.
Some of the concerns we heard from those who attended the recent drop in included:
- Already constrained traffic and emergency access through narrow residential streets (especially Sixth, First and Second Avenue among others).
- Existing concerns with parking in the nearby streets from sporting activities at Regents Park, especially on Thursday nights and Saturdays.
- Significant increase to the number of people who will live in the area, putting more pressure on existing community services and facilities (such as schools and doctors) and infrastructure (especially roads).
- Reduction in green space (compared to the current Golf Course) and impact on wildlife and biodiversity.
- Potential impacts of increased development on flooding and drainage to wetlands and surrounding neighbours.
- Opportunities for new east-west walking and cycling connections through the Site and to the wetlands.
- Finding ways to preserve the most significant trees.
- Locating more dense development towards the centre of the site, away from existing neighbours.
- Keeping built form predominantly similar to the surrounding neighbourhood (1-2 stories, with some 2-3 storey development toward the centre, and only small areas of up to 4 storeys).
See also our FAQs and those that have been 'updated' or are 'new'.
What's happening?
The Rossdale Golf Club (The Club) in Aspendale (City of Kingston), 25 kilometres south-east from the Melbourne CBD has been facing significant financial pressures and faces imminent closure. The Club's financial bottom line is not able to fund the ongoing needs and capital requirements needed for long term viability at the current site. The Club has had to implement various short-term solutions to address immediate funding needs, including the sale of some land (2,400 square metres) in 2015. Additional options have also been explored, such as merging with other clubs, however these were not viable.
The current finances are insufficient to meet the Club’s needs, which when combined with increasing business costs, leads to the clear conclusion that the Club ‘as is’ has no long-term viability at the current Aspendale site. Looking forward, the cost of improving the golf course to incorporate contemporary design standards and facilities is beyond the Club’s reach.
The Club has no choice other than seeking to exit, selling its land and use the money to seek a new golf facility opportunity for its members. On 23 December 2018, by Special Resolution of the Rossdale Golf Club members, over 90% of meeting attendees resolved to sell the Club's site and explore relocation to a nearby location.
The Club has engaged an expert project team to investigate how the current Rossdale Golf Course site in Aspendale may be redeveloped in the future. This redevelopment will fund the Club's relocation and enable it to repay its debts.
The Club acknowledges there will be significant change which may be of concern to local residents and community members. As part of this plan, we are committed to delivering community benefits for the Aspendale community.
New community assets may include:
- Providing publicly accessible open spaces.
- Reducing risks of off-site flood impacts by building on-site water retention basins.
- Providing a range of housing opportunities for diverse family types
- Providing on-site community facilities or education facilities
- Providing monetary contributions towards the upgrading of existing off-site neighbourhood sporting facilities.
Planning guidelines
We have nearly completed initial stages of the planning process including a detailed site analysis, ensuring that we have thoroughly addressed matters required under Steps 1-4 of the Planning Guidelines.
We have now commenced Step 6 of the Planning Guidelines: Provide a land use concept that delivers net community benefit along with ongoing community consultation (Step 5).
Also of relevance to Your Future Rossdale are Kingston Council’s recently approved residential zones / planning rules which cover everything from affordable homes to sustainable housing development and much more.
Next steps
Your feedback on the Ideas Plan will inform the finalisation of our proposal before the Club formally lodges a request to rezone and develop the site with the Kingston Council.