The People's Panel

What was the People's Panel?

The People’s Panel was established to consider the feedback gathered during community consultation and provide advice to the re:imagine project team on future potential uses of an area of approximately 49 hectares of the existing Gold Creek Country Club.

What was the outcome?

Following several meetings the Panel produced the following Final Statement:

Final statement prepared by re:imagine People’s Panel

30 June 2018

The People’s Panel (the Panel) was assembled to receive information and represent the views of the community about the re:imagine Gold Creek Country Club project.

The Gold Creek Country Club is a significant parcel of open space for Gungahlin and the broader Canberra community and the Panel is of the firm view that the character and profile of the suburb of Harcourt Hill Estate, Nicholls and surrounding areas, including an integrated golf course, should be retained as originally designed and conceived.

People’s Panel process

The Panel met five times between 28 April 2018 and 30 June 2018. The group agreed to a Terms of Reference and received additional information from:

Mr Stephane Talbot, Manager Gold Creek Country Club, Troon International;
Environment, Planning and Sustainable Development Directorate (EPSDD) – Planning; and
Mr Harry Konstantinou, the Konstantinou Group (KGroup).

Presentations and Q&A sessions to the Panel were designed to help the Panel understand government requirements for redevelopment and lease variation proposals and background to the re:imagine project so that a considered response could be developed. The Panel learnt through the EPSDD presentation the critical importance of community input at every opportunity.

People’s Panel outcomes

The Panel is unanimous in its view that there should be no change to the Territory Plan and no variation to the current lease.

The Panel endorses the themes expressed by the community through the consultation process commissioned by the KGroup. These themes are:

• No development; community feedback that opposes any change to the existing golf course and calls for the status quo to remain;

• 18 hole golf course; community feedback calls for the golf course to remain an 18 hole course and suggests that more be done to make the existing golf course operations viable.

• Loss of green space, amenity and views; community feedback highlights the strong importance that the community places on the open space provided by the golf course and surrounding area and that the amenity provided by that open space is highly valued;

• Impact on property prices; residents living near to the golf course express concern about the potential for negative impact on property prices.

• Develop within existing territory plan; any further proposed development on the site should be undertaken only within its existing development rights;

• Role of the Konstantinou Group; community concern that the financial viability of the golf course is being compromised;

• Consultation process; community feedback that the consultation process does not appear genuine; and

• Alternative suggestions; in response to consultation questions seeking ideas for potential uses for the re:imagine area, there were a small number of alternative suggestions put forward. These suggestions will be detailed in the consultation report.

The Panel is strongly opposed to changing the Territory Plan or the current lease. The Panel is of the view that the current configuration of the 18 hole golf course should be retained, along with the open space, amenity, views and wildlife corridors that currently exist.

The People’s Panel encourages the KGroup to build on the positive investment it has made in engaging Troon International to professionally manage the Gold Creek Country Club and notes the positive improvement in operating position achieved so far. The Panel is of the view that there is considerable potential in the community and the expanding Gungahlin area, to enhance the long term viability of the golf course. The Panel believes there is considerable goodwill in the community to assist in that regard.

The Panel further recommends that the community remain engaged in ongoing discussions about the future of the Gold Creek Country Club.