Guidelines for the Conversion of Golf Course Land

The Club and it’s project team are closely following the process as set out in the Guidelines for the Conversion of Golf Course Land to Other Purposes, June 2020 (the ‘Guidelines’). The Guidelines are intended to provide a clear and consistent pathway for golf course redevelopment and outline how proposals should provide new public parks, protect biodiversity and the environment, and contribute to other social and community outcomes.

The Guidelines state that when preparing an amendment to a planning scheme or application for the redevelopment of a golf course, the following steps should be followed (page 9 of the Guidelines).

1. Consider whether the land should be redeveloped.

2. Identify the strategic direction for the site.

3. Determine what assessments and approvals are required.

4. Document site values, constraints and opportunities.

5. Engage the community.

6. Provide a land use concept that delivers net community benefit.

7. Deliver a quality outcome.

So far the Club and its project team have completed Steps 1 to 3 and all of Step 4 apart from addressing follow up questions from stakeholder agencies on some studies and an on-site cultural heritage assessment which is taking place in June and July 2025.

Step 5 (Engage the Community) has taken place over two phases. An initial consultation about the future of the golf course and a future vision, values and interests for the land took place between April and May 2023. This along with outcomes from Stage 4 resulted in the development of a land use concept (an 'Ideas Plan' for the project - Step 6).

A second phase of consultation occurred between July and August 2024 on an 'Ideas Plan' or land use concept. A report on this consultation was released in October 2024.

A more detailed summary of the activities undertaken by the Club to date, and their consistency with the Guidelines, is provided in the table below. The Club and its project team are continuing to work through the necessary tasks to satisfy the Guidelines and to prepare the associated detailed documentation and reporting the will be required to demonstrate this as set out in Step 7.

Steps in The GuidelinesResponse Summary
1. Consider whether the land should be redeveloped

The Guidelines set out the matters that should be addressed to establish whether public or private golf course land should be converted to another use. The Club has undertaken the necessary investigations to address each matter, including an independent economic assessment undertaken at the commencement of the project.

A summary response to each of these matters is provided below.

1. Does the land tenure allow for conversion?

The Site is privately owned land with no restriction in its tenure which would prevent its conversion to alternate uses.

2. Is the golf course surplus to golfing?

The City of Kingston has the highest number of golf clubs of any other municipality within Metropolitan Melbourne. This supply of golf courses within the City of Kingston and the south-east region more generally has led to an effective oversupply despite forecasted population growth. The economic analysis concluded that the Site is considered to be surplus to the region’s golfing requirements. For the course to remain competitive in this context, significant upgrades are required and thorough economic analysis has not found any options for the Club to remain on the site to be feasible.

3. Are there economic alternatives to conversion?

The Club has considered a range of potential alternatives to enable the Club to become financially viable. The Club has extensively explored alternatives including options put forward by members, Council and the community.

While a number of options have been pursued over the last decade, thorough analysis of these options has not proven them to be feasible. Options to sell off portions of the existing Site to fund upgrade projects have proven to be insufficient to fund the substantial investment required.

4. Should the land remain as open space?

The Site is privately owned and is not currently a publicly accessible open space. Notwithstanding, in accordance with the Guidelines, the Club has sought feedback from Federal, State and Local Government and agencies to gauge whether there is a need for land for public open space or other public uses. To date, no government department or agency, including the City of Kingston, has expressed any interest. It is likely that some open space would be provided as part of any concept plan for the redevelopment of the site noting that the Guidelines require at least 20% of the site to be set aside for open space.

2. Identify the strategic direction for the siteIn accordance with the Guidelines, the strategic direction for the Site has been considered in detail. The assessment identified that given the Site’s proximity to public transport, goods and services, a residential direction for the Site is strongly supported by metropolitan and local planning policies relating to urban consolidation, the 20-minute neighbourhood, population growth and housing diversity. A future proposition will need to be supported by thorough site analysis and assessment of community needs.
3. Determine what assessments and approvals are required

As required by the Guidelines, the project team has determined the relevant required and likely approvals.

Depending on the final proposition, the key approvals for the project are likely to include:

  • The proposed rezoning and redevelopment of the Site for an alternate use will require the approval of a planning scheme amendment, Development Plan, and planning permit under the Planning and Environment Act 1987.
  • A Cultural Heritage Management Plan will be required to be prepared under the provisions of the Aboriginal Heritage Act 2006.
  • Dependent on the impacts of a development proposition on the nearby Edithvale Wetlands, a referral under the Environmental Effects Act 1978 may be required. This cannot be confirmed until a development proposition is prepared (Step 6) and will be dependent on aspects such as proposed bioretention systems/water treatment facilities proposed as part of a future development.
  • A referral under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 will be required.

Other approvals, permits and licences may include those under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988, Wildlife Act 1975, Road Management Act 2004, Water Act 1989, and Crown Land Reserves Act.

The Club and its project team are aware of the likely relevant approvals that may be required, the relevant decision makers for each approval, the necessary technical analysis to inform them, and the associated programming and engagement implications of each approval. These can only be confirmed once a proposal has been formulated.

Based on the extensive experience of the Club’s project team, and initial site analysis, the Club and its project team have satisfactorily identified the necessary suite of technical assessments required to inform the project and associated approvals. These assessments include:

  • Golf demand and economic analysis
  • Planning and strategic assessment
  • Ecology and biodiversity assessment
  • Arboriculture assessment
  • Landscape and Visual assessment
  • Traffic assessment
  • Community infrastructure assessment
  • Cultural Heritage Management Plan
  • Environmental (contamination, hydrogeology and ASS) Assessment
  • Drainage and flooding assessment
  • Servicing strategy
  • Sustainability management plan
The project team is preparing comprehensive documentation to inform a proposal for the future of site in accordance with the Guidelines. Once a draft future proposition is prepared, the assessments will be finalised. These, together with details of the proposed project, will be made available through a public exhibition process under the Planning and Environment Act 1987 (Step 7 of the Guidelines).
4. Document site values, constraints and opportunities

The Club and its project team have undertaken detailed investigations to understand the Site’s values, constraints and opportunities. As required by the guidelines, site analysis is to be informed in part by community feedback. Accordingly, the purpose of Phase one of our consultation was to collect information about the community’s visions, values, and interests for the Site and the surrounding area.

As noted above, site investigations that have been undertaken include the assessment of the following site values, opportunities and constraints:

  • Golf demand and economic
  • Planning
  • Ecology and biodiversity
  • Arboriculture
  • Landscape
  • Traffic
  • Community infrastructure
  • Cultural heritage (desktop only: onsite in June & July 2025)
  • Environmental (contamination, hydrogeology and ASS)
  • Drainage and flooding
  • Servicing
  • Sustainability

The findings of these investigations (in addition to the findings of the first phase of community consultation) helped inform the preparation of a land use concept ('Ideas Plan') that was presented for public consultation in July 2024.

Feedback from different agencies and stakeholders have seen additional work completed on some of the above studies throughout 2025.

5. Engage the community

In accordance with the Guidelines, the Club has prepared a comprehensive community consultation program which has involved two phases.

The first consultation phase collected information about the community’s visions, values, and interests for the site and the surrounding area. The findings from Phase 1 community consultation (April to May 2023) were reported in July 2023 and were used to inform a land use concept plan for the site ('Ideas Plan') (Step 6).

The Ideas Plan was released in July 2024 with consultation on it occurring during July and August 2024 with a report on the consultation released in October 2024.

All of these reports and plans can be found on this website.

6. Provide a land use concept that delivers net community benefit

Concept planning and tasks associated with Step 6 were undertaken following the completion of detailed investigations (Step 4) and the consideration of the findings of the first phase of community consultation (Step 5).

The land use concept to provide a net community benefit was release for public consultation in July 2024 (see 'Ideas Plan' on this website).

7. Deliver a quality outcome

This stage has not yet commenced.

Any proposal to convert golf course land must deliver a high-quality outcome. Tasks associated with Step 7 will be completed through:

  • the preparation of a planning scheme amendment and planning permit application,
  • and the submission of documentation that details the proposal, project rationale, detailed site analysis, strategic response to the technical analysis of values and potential impacts to the environment, ecology, arboriculture, landscape, archaeology, history and culture, and transport.

The documentation will detail the redevelopment proposition and address as relevant, matters of housing, built form, open space, traffic, environmental management, flooding and groundwater, community infrastructure and heritage.

Kingston Housing Strategy

New residential zones and planning rules for Kingston

Following six years of deep community consultation, on 7th May 2024 the Victorian Government approved new residential zones/planning rules for Kingston.

The planning rules will:

  • Encourage new affordable homes in the right places so that key workers like nurses, firefighters, manufacturing workers and teachers can live close to the communities they serve.
  • Provide for a mix of houses big and small to meet different needs.
  • Help see shopping centres bustling with activity and new businesses attracted to the area so we continue to thrive.
  • Direct new growth to the right areas where there is transport and services.
  • Play a part to address the housing crisis and deliver new homes, without needing to sacrifice our beautiful green open spaces like golf courses.
  • Provide for more energy efficient housing to cut the costs of living associated with renting or owning a home.
  • Direct key issues, including building heights, setbacks, and landscaping.

These changes have now been incorporated in the Kingston Planning Scheme.