Cumberland Golf Club Seniors Housing Development

I object to the level of traffic and noise that Kootingal St would incur as a result of this development. Kootingal St, once voted as one of the best streets in Greystanes, would inherit an ugly backdrop of multi-storey buildings. Furthermore, the whole development would change the nature of our locality and destroy its community feel.

To Whom it may Concern,

I have been a member of Cumberland Country Golf Club for over 50 years and a strong supporter of the proposed development.
Cumberland has always been a leader. Always on the forefront of new ideas such as being the first course in NSW to install a fairway watering system but now it has reached a stop. In order for growth to continue within the club we need to meet modern day.

It is vital that Cumberland as a golf course and social hub for the community continues for next 100 years. There is no reward for a short-term plan, or having the club be taken over by one of the Major Clubs. These clubs are only invested in gambling revenue, they have no interest in the green space.

The model of Cumberland is not broken but hardships such as Covid and wet weather strangles the Club's ability to operate.
The current Clubhouse having just surpassed it's 60th year, has seen it's day. Our community deserves a rejuvenated space.

In closing, the proposed Seniors Living Development will refresh the current course & provide a coming of age Club House for all members, guests and the public to enjoy for an additional 60 years+ This arrangement will ensure the future of Cumber Country Golf Club not only as a Club but as a major green space within the area.

My extended family and I regularly use the club facilities including the restaurant
We live locally and find both the staff and venue a safe and friendly environment
With family , it is great to have a club locally which has a great outlook and where gambling is not the main game
It's a golf club with a wonderful family orientation.
I has seen the plans to the proposed new club house and retirement living and can only say it looks wonderful and will give many locals the opportunity to stay in the area
Thank you for this opportunity

I object to The cumberland golf club seniors housing development as it will create more traffic and congestion next to my property. This also affects my privacy and will be blocking natural light into my property. Our street is one of the most sort after streets in greystanes this project will also affect resale price of properties on my street. The buildings are excessive and too close to homes. Works carried out will cause major dust and allergies to many residents surroundings.

The proposed development is very large and will be an eye-sore. The average height of the six accommodation buildings is over 6 storeys, with 3 of them being 7 storeys. Certainly way beyond the norm for our lovely suburb.
Despite assurances otherwise, common sense indicates that traffic and parking will be a big problem in Kootingal Street, especially near Kunyal Place. Kootingal Street is a narrow street (historically with a Light Traffic sign) and the extra traffic is just an accident waiting to happen. Exit onto Old Prospect Road from Kootingal Street can already take a wait of many minutes during peak times. A packed lunch will be needed if the development goes ahead.
To summarise: Our main concerns are that the whole character of our neighbourhood would change, become less safe and would be much more difficult to access.

Refer attached submission.

I would like to object to the proposed planning development in our community, primarily on the grounds of its potential impact on traffic congestion. As a resident who considers the well-being and functionality of our neighborhood, I believe it is crucial to carefully consider the implications of any development projects on our local infrastructure, particularly regarding traffic flow and safety.
The proposed development, as outlined in the plans, appears to lack sufficient provisions for managing the increased traffic volume on and around Kootingal Street, Greystanes.
I hope that meaningful community engagement is prioritized to ensure that the voices and concerns of local residents are heard and addressed in the planning process.
In conclusion, I respectfully request that the planning committee reject the proposed development until adequate measures are put in place to address its potential adverse impacts on traffic congestion and ensure the long-term sustainability of our community.

Thank you for considering my objections.

Sincerely
Concerned Resident
Kootingal Street, Greystanes

The basis of my objection to this project is on four grounds.
1. The reduction of green space ( being the golf course land) in Western Sydney at a time of climate change where the planet continues to heat especially with the removal of trees and vegetation. I can accept that development of additional housing is necessary in Sydney but I do not believe this should be done at the expense of green space.

2. My second objection is on the basis that the local streets around the golf course are very narrow and cannot cope with additional traffic that this development will bring. It is difficult enough now to pass other cars and the addition of cars will only make this more dangerous.

3. My third objection is on the basis that insufficient parking has been allowed under this development. Currently, the overflow of cars on busy golf days park ion the practice fairway. Under the proposal there will be no practice fairway so where are these cars going park? Is already busy side streets? A suggestion from one club offical was that people could catch the bus to golf! This is hardly very practically when you are also I transporting golf clubs.
4. My final objection is under the golf club development there will be no practice fairway or facilities other than perhaps a putting green. Cumberland Golf Club has had a long standing practice of providing junior golf clinics to help develop the next generation of golfers and provide local juniors an opportunity to be outdoors and doing some exercise. This ability will be lost in the future at a time where we should be encouraging young people to be active.

The long term viability and sustainability of Cumberland Golf course would be under significant pressure without this proposal. Golfing numbers at our club and in the wider world are falling and without this injection of funds from the project and the income it will generate on an annual basis, the club would almost certainly close at some time in the future. If this were to happen then the course and beautiful parkland that it provides would be lost. I believe our directors have done an excellent job in talking with the community, and taking into account their concerns, as well as those of our fellow members. My member number is 2389 and I support the project

NSW Planning
I have been a golfing member of Cumberland Country Golf Club for over 15 years.

The club is my major social and sporting base and a place where my wife and I have made great friends. The club provides access for all, with a very good golf course and welcoming clubhouse which has a restaurant. Our extended family recently celebrated a significant birthday at the restaurant, which is open to the public.

The last three years with Covid and the wet weather, has demonstrated that the golf club as a standalone sporting club cannot generate the cash flow to operate and find money to complete golf course mandatory upgrades and maintenance. The club house is 60 years old and needs to be replaced or modernized. The economics of golf are that, unless a club has non golf income it cannot reinvest. The investment in the Seniors living with the developer partnership provides income, improved utilization of the facilities and a real "hub".

The seniors living development will complement, refresh the course and a provide a new clubhouse. The lease income will support investment in the course and provide a very good experience for all members, guests and the public. The majority of members (average age 60 years) live in the area, and many can now see an opportunity to retire in the proximity of the golf course.
The club has always respected neighbours and members raise substantial funds for Legacy and Prostrate cancer. It is a good corporate citizen.
The design of the retirement village, at the northern end of the course means that the integrity of the green space will be retained and the senior's living footprint will not be the dominant feature.

In summary this is a very significant step for the golf club which is 87 years old and has the support of the majority of golfing and social members.

Yours faithfully

Robert Shield

I grew up in the Greystanes area and have been a member of the Cumberland Golf Club for about 30years when I joined as a junior golfer. I travel once or twice a week to pay golf at Cumberland because it's a good Club and Course and I still have many lifelong friends there. I think the development should be approved because it will provide income for the club to remain strong and exist for well into the future. It will provide badly needed retirement accommodation options for the area and free up housing for families like mine to move into. Many of my friends would like to downsize but don't want to leave the Greystanes area.
I am concerned that if nothing is done to secure the club's future, it will be swallowed up like many other smaller clubs have been and cease to exist.
It will also give people in the area somewhere to downsize to nd stay connected with the community they know and have strong community ties with.
The design of the living units, the new clubhouse and golf course are very good because they provide plenty of trees and green space and open areas for members and the local community to enjoy. The new clubhouse will give more modern options for people to socialise and enjoy.
I like the idea of having an aged care block in the development so that people living in the complex or nearby can be looked after as they grow older without having to move too far away from their family.

I support this development application

Hi - My situation is that I am a neighbor and a member of the Golf Club that is proposing the development.
My comments are as follows:
1. Parking
The club has advised members that there are 180 current parking spaces at the club. The development proposes increasing this to 220 spaces. This is totally inadequate. In the proposal the Developer states that there are currently overflow spaces used by the club in the Southern area of the property and has provided pictures of this area. What the developer has intentionally omitted is the fact that the current practice fairway, further south of what they state is the overflow area, is the real overflow carpark area, and on the main golf competition days, every Saturday, Sunday and Wednesday, this area holds anywhere from 40 up to 100 cars, depending on how busy the club is. The Developer has allowed approx 40 additional car spaces, yet on a minimum of 3 days per week, there will be up to 60 cars seeking a park that won't exist. Their only option will be to park on Old Prospect Rd or Kootingal St. Parking on either Street will be dangerous, especially on Kootingal St which is a narrow suburban street, not designed to handle non resident parking. I have included as attachments, 3 pictures of the practice fairway, used as an overflow carpark.
In marketing the Development to Club members, the Club board and management stated the new clubhouse will attract significant public visitors and the club facilities will attract many new functions and so boost the profitability of the club. That is great, but there is no parking for members of the public or people attending the function to be held at the club. Again, these visitors will be forced to park on Old Prospect Rd or Kootingal St.
The problem with the parking stems from the fact that the Developer, in maintaining the huge profit margin that will be made, has elected to try to get away with keeping the existing car park, instead of building a car park under the new club. That would be the common sense option.
The apartment blocks have an allowance of 1 car spot per bedroom, with a small number for visitors. The number allowed for visitors is inadequate as it basically assumes there are only 14 visitors at any one time for approx 230 apartments. That is totally inadequate, especially on weekends and public holidays, the same days the golf course and clubhouse is at maximum use.
2. Construction Phase
The documents state construction will be limited to the hours of 7am - 6 pm. These hours are excessive and will cause undue noise at times when families are either still in bed, getting kids ready for school and too late when neighbors are having dinner or kids are trying to do homework. The total construction time is approximately 4 years, so it is a massive amount of time to be interrupted from your daily routine. surely 8am - 5pm is a reasonable daily construction time, not negatively impacting on neighbour's everyday life.
3. Visual impact
The original development consisted of 2-3 story buidings and that had been approved by Club members, but following outside input, the development has been amended to consist of 5, 6 and mainly 7 story buildings. Greystanes is a suburb with low rise development and these 6 separate apartment block will look hideous and totally out of place in the neighborhood. The developers state the building will blend in with the surrounding trees and be no higher than neighbouring trees, but that claim is window dressing, the buildings will be substantially taller than neighboring trees and will prominently stand out for the entire neighborhood to see. It will be an eyesore, but the only way for the Developer to generate to profit needed to do the project.
4. Aged Care facility
The original plan put to members did not include an aged care facility. I believe that has been included purely to get a positive or faster approval for the development. No information in the development documents has been given on existing aged care facilities in the suburb. There is a large aged care facility approximately 50 metres from the golf club on Old Prospect Rd (Genista) which has a great reputation for providing aged care. There is also another large, aged care facility in Spotted Gum place approximately 500 metres away. The aged care facility has been included for 1 reason only, and it's not out of sympathy for the older members of our community.
5. Local land values.
The development will negatively impact property owners on Kootingal St and Old Prospect Rd. The construction phases will take approximately 4 years with increased traffic, noise and disruption. Once completed the ongoing impacts include additional noise, parking congestion, shading from the apartment blocks and a significant visual impact. These factors will have a material negative impact of property values and all approaches to the Developer to seek compensation for this have been rebuffed. I get the firm impression that the Developer will not entertain any action that may impact their profit margin.

The development was originally 2-3 stories high, but it has now been changed to 6 apartment blocks 6 & 7 stories high, the highest in Greystanes. As well as consisting of multiple apartment blocks, the development will cause traffic and parking congestion in Old Prospect Rd and Kootingal St. As well there will be scores of trees to be cut down, a lot of these trees are old gums and once removed, will also remove any wildlife as well.

I have been a resident of the area for 8 years. While frequenting suburbs such as Wentworthville and Merrylands. I have seen substantial development in these areas, and the transport infrustructure has not coped with these changes. It has also increased the amount of traffic in the Greystanes area. I oppose this project because it will greatly increase the amount of traffic in Greystanes and there is not enough space to increase the transport services in the area. I think the best location for this is on the Great Western Highway near McDonalds. There is a lot of space, close access to Wenty Leagues Club, and the highway having enough space to support the increase in traffic. Thank you for your time.

Please refer to the attachments.