Scenic golf links set for housing

Lakes, established trees and flower beds make the Peninsula course a scenic tour over 18 holes. Photo / Martin Sykes

An Orewa golf course with park-like fairways and sea views is set for a 600-house development.

Members of the Peninsula Golf Club have voted to accept a developer's offer of a swap - in return for building a free course in the countryside and giving the club more than $10 million cash.

Formed in 1956, the club's 44ha property overlooks Red Beach. Its lakes, mature trees and flower beds are like a scenic tour over 18 holes.

"There are a lot of mixed emotions - long-time members recall the working bees and now there is the exciting opportunity for a course by a world-class designer," said chairman Patrick Kennelly. "We will continue to run here until May 2013 when the new course is built at Wainui and we move to that."

Mr Kennelly said the deal had other conditions to be fulfilled.

The developer was applying to Rodney District Council to change the zoning of "future urban" to residential.

The proposed course at Wainui has resource consent for a golf course, but that needed to be changed to suit the club's wish to change the clubhouse site.

"We want to put it on top of the hill where there are great views of the hills and sea beyond."

Members had a presentation on the 81ha site from Canada-based course builders and architects Puddicombe Golf. It was set for a secure future as a members' course that did not rely on green fees and was sustainable in terms of maintenance.

The club had 830 members, of which 580 were eligible to vote on the club's offer. The result of the secret ballot was 330 members in favour and 68 against.

This was 83 per cent of the votes cast.

"The process has taken about 15 months and it has been an emotional issue because some members live on the boundary of the course."

Over the years, the former farmland had become surrounded by houses, retirement village complexes and health and medical centres.

"It's pretty tight and restrained and we have an opportunity for enough land for an 18-hole course with wider fairways and safety areas."

A member who opposed the deal, Richard Eames, said members overwhelmingly supported the decision and it had now moved from a club issue to a community issue.

Resource management lawyer John Maassen, who is acting for Peninsula Land Development, said an application for changing the zone to enable residential development would be made by late August.