Lane Cove Golf Course Re-development Proposal

The Lane Cove Council has proposed an $85M sports and recreation centre to replace the golf club.

The bulk and scale of the centre is unsuitable for an environmental conservation zone with endangered and protected species, and an exclusively high value low density living zone. Furthermore, a small council like Lane Cove should not take on such major projects, where the full cost is borne by Lane Cove Residents.

The costs make it imperative that it services the whole of Lower North Shore. However, the location does not enable this and is likely to cause severe hourly 15 minute traffic grid-lock over the weekends.

Furthermore is it appropriate to use Lane Cove rate payer funds to pay for facility for all of Lower North Shore, and for Lane Cove to take on the risk of failure. This is a matter for State government, nor Lane Cove Council.

In the current financial environement with steeply rising interest rates, this may well lead the council to bankruptcy, inlight of it other major project mortgage servicing requirements such as the canopy ($85M proposal). It is a financially irresponsible proposal which maximises construction, with no sensitivity to the impacts to the conservation zone and amenity of the surrounding residences.

This action is to email key councillors of Lane Cove Council, the auditor general NSW and the Office of Local Government; objecting to the proposed Sports and recreation centre. It will also be submitted as an objection to the DA.

The Lane Cove Council has proposed an $85M sports and recreation centre to replace the golf club.

The bulk and scale of the centre is unsuitable for an environmental conservation zone with endangered and protected species, and an exclusively high value low density living zone. Furthermore, a small council like Lane Cove should not take on such major projects, where the full cost is borne by Lane Cove Residents.

The costs make it imperative that it services the whole of Lower North Shore. However, the location does not enable this and is likely to cause severe hourly 15 minute traffic grid-lock over the weekends.

Furthermore is it appropriate to use Lane Cove rate payer funds to pay for facility for all of Lower North Shore, and for Lane Cove to take on the risk of failure. This is a matter for State government, nor Lane Cove Council.

In the current financial environement with steeply rising interest rates, this may well lead the council to bankruptcy, inlight of it other major project mortgage servicing requirements such as the canopy ($85M proposal). It is a financially irresponsible proposal which maximises construction, with no sensitivity to the impacts to the conservation zone and amenity of the surrounding residences.

This action is to email key councillors of Lane Cove Council, the auditor general NSW and the Office of Local Government; objecting to the proposed Sports and recreation centre. It will also be submitted as an objection to the DA.

Stop Mega Recreation Centre in Northwood

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To: Peter Debnam Chairman Sydney North Planning Panel, Mayor Andrew Zbik, Deputy Mayor Merri Southwood, Councillor Bridget Kennedy, Councillor Kathy Bryla, Councillor Rochelle Flood - rflood@lanecove.nsw.gov.au, Councillor Katherine Mort, Manager Lane Cove Council, Auditor-General, Margaret Crawford and Minister of Local Government Wendy Tuckerman

I object to this proposal, as it is financially irresponsible, it is unsuitable for an environmental conservation zone and low density high liveability residential area. Such a proposal should be located on the main transport hubs such as Chatswood and North Sydney, and should be funded mainly by state and federal governments and all lower north shore councils.

Furthermore, I ask that the Auditor General NSW, Margaret Crawford, performs an independent audit of all council activities to 
•	confirm that over the last 5 years, rate payer funds allocated to provide mandated services, such as maintaining roads, pavements, the golf course and other sporting facilities have not been funnelled to save up for these major projects, thereby depriving the community of quality services it has paid for;
•	confirm that the use of Lane Cove rate payers funds only, to build a complex that is estimated to be used only 20% by local rate payers, with the council taking full risk of failure; is a legitimate use of Lane Cove rate payer funds, and
•	confirm the council is in a position to undertake a project of $85 - $100M (with possible overrun), and that this is a financially sound project in the current financial climate, and in light of other mortgage servicing commitments such as the canopy ($85M project) where low fixed term rates may expire.

The real needs for Lane Cove
•	Netball / basketball multipurpose courts. There is no requirement or demand for indoor courts. 
•	Upgrade of the Golf Club. I believe the number of people using the course and club house is restricted by the limitations of the course, and therefore will mainly serve local residents and will never service a larger area. Therefore, it is apt that the council maintains it, and it does need an upgrade.
•	I have never heard a need for a large function room in lane cove. The current clubhouse has a small function room also used by the local orchestra for practices.
•	A café and bar.
•	A solution for local residents mainly, compatible for an environment conservation zone, with similar design points as the current solution.

Can a small council such as LCC afford an $85M recreation centre without insolvency?
•	Lane Cove residents cannot afford a $85M recreation centre which it has no need for. Unless it can service all of the lower north shore (LNS), it will run at a loss that could bankrupt the Lane Cove Council. A sports centre such as this, should be mainly funded by state and all LNS councils together, instead of the residents of Lane Cove.
•	The real needs can be delivered at a fraction of the cost not exceeding $30m.
•	With mortgage servicing requirements for the Canopy ($85M project) and other major projects and rising interest rates, the moment current fixed rates elapse, the council may be insolvent.  Particularly because, unlike the Canopy which is of similar investment and entirely revenue attracting commercial functions; most of this proposal will be loss making.
•	A council that does not have funds to maintain the golf course and foot bridges within, or resurface Longueville rd, or cannot contribute $2 toward each golf visitor, or maintain the Lucretia baths or resurface tennis courts; couldn’t possibly fund a loss-making proposal as this. This begs the question as to whether our rates are being funnelled to major construction projects; instead of the mandated council services. 
•	It is a financially irresponsible proposal without a thorough financial risk assessment of what a local council should endeavour to deliver.

Proposal of questionable value driven by Maximising construction, rather than needs.
•	The main deliverable seems to be the 350 car park which I assume will not generate revenue!
•	2ndary are 4 indoor multi-purpose courts. There is no requirement for indoor courts. Converting the current courts and providing 4 new multi-purpose courts elsewhere will cost $5-10M. A cost a small local council could undertake.
•	A function room with a common wall to an indoor sports hall, is simply a thought bubble. A function room cannot have referee whistles, the sound of bouncing basket balls and shouting next to it. In contrast a function room within a golf club is a perfectly sound proposition.

Incompatible location.
•	A sports centre servicing LNS should be located in North Sydney or Chatswood, which contain high density living, transport hubs serviced by bus, rail, and metro; and is linked with major arteries. Northwood, Longueville and Greenwich, couldn’t be further from this. These suburbs are highly sought exclusively low density, high value residential areas with significant Environment conservation zones not on the main transport arteries. The site is incompatible for the purpose.

Extreme Traffic Consequences
•	To have any reasonable chance of being economically viable, we will need to encourage Netball and Basketball organisation to use the centre. There are extreme traffic consequences to this as is evident in Willoughby. It will cause hourly 15minute traffic gridlock throughout Saturday and some of Sunday. There will be a movement of around 200- 400 (50 cars per court) attempting to enter and leave simultaneously blocking each other, within the 15 minutes. People with daughters playing netball at Willoughby would know what I am referring to. This is in stark contrast to Golf, which has staggard starts of a few people. 
•	I expect the traffic gridlock will extend the whole of Longueville rd, much of river rd west, Kenneth st. and Northwood rd. Access to and from the peninsula will be greatly affected during the grid-lock periods.
•	In addition, there will be 400 seniors buzzing around this chaos!

Either way, residents of Longueville, Northwood, Greenwich and Osborn Park lose
•	If the centre is successful to attract LNS associations, the residents of these suburbs will have hourly traffic gridlocks on the weekends.
•	If the centre is a failure, we will have a bankrupt council.
•	The most likely outcome is that it will fail, as there is no well thought out business case; but even if it is successful for a time, it will fail when the real solution is provided at Chatswood or North Sydney with state and federal government support.

A thought bubble process, with no community consultation, not aligned with the ethos of Lane Cove and driven purely to maximise construction value
•	The 1st bubble was an absurd indoor skate park. Who asked for one? Why indoors?
•	Then, to build multi-purpose courts on 3 holes of the golf course.
•	Then, a noisy golf driving range in a conservation zone, and making the already little golf course a putt putt course.
•	Now the massive $85M construction project

An alternate proposal
•	There is a real need for a sports and recreation centre servicing the Lower North Shore. Several of the LNS councils including Willoughby and North Sydney are seeking to find a solution for this. They should all join and build a $150m sports centre in either Chatswood or North Sydney, with 50% funding from State and Federal government and the rest from the councils. This is what is required in the Lower North Shore.

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