Source :- PERTH NOW NEWS
Coogee’s $10 million golf course will not progress after two decades’ of planning due to concerns about the project’s financial viability.
Cockburn councillors voted against an officer’s recommendation to continue liaising with stakeholders and investigating the long-term project’s feasibility.
Instead, councillor Tarun Dewan’s alternative motion to suspend any further work associated with the project narrowly passed 5-4.
The council’s decision means no additional resources or funding will be allocated to further investigate, plan or develop a business case for the golf course, unless council subsequently decides otherwise.
The city has set aside $9.9 million in its long-term financial plan, should the golf course ever be deemed viable to go ahead.
“The proposed Coogee golf complex has been under consideration for approximately two decades without progressing to implementation,” Cr Dewan said.
“The prolonged time frame indicates the project has not demonstrated sufficient strategic priority, financial viability and community benefit to justify further investment. Significant funds have already been expended on investigations, studies and consultant reports over an extended period.”
The city has spent $342,000 developing the plans and business case over the life of the project.
Cockburn has not had an operational golf course since Jandakot’s Glen Iris golf course closed to make way for for residential development in 2020.
The golf complex, first proposed in 2006, was included in the city’s community, sport and recreation plan for 2018 to 2033. Perth-based consultants Glen Flood Group developed a business plan for it in 2021, which had no plans to begin building until at least 2027.
Fauna, flora and heritage surveys for the proposed site were updated in 2023 to ensure Aboriginal and environmental compliance standards would be met. The surveys highlighted important black cockatoo habitat, Aboriginal cultural sites and a European heritage site in the area.
City officers recommended council continue liaising with its Aboriginal and sustainability and environmental reference groups in the wake of the survey results.
Council approved a $45,000 budget amendment last December to undertake a further review of golf provision at the site, which is currently being progressed.
Cr Dewan excluded this work from his amendment but argued any further studies were unlikely to alter the “fundamental challenges” associated with progressing the project.
“Any future advancement of the proposal would require substantial additional expenditure on investigations, planning, design, approvals, procurement processes, business case developments and potential capital works,” he said.
“Such expenditure would occur at a time when the city and community is facing ongoing financial pressures and competing demands on limited resources.
“Sound financial governance requires our council to prioritise expenditure on essential infrastructure, asset renewal, community services and projects that deliver the most benefits to the wider community.”
Cr Tom Widenbar said he didn’t agree with suspending any further work until council received the results from the golf provision review.
“There is already a consultancy contract in play here, which was authorised by council in December 2025 for a review of golf provisions at the site. We’re not going to do anything until we get that report back, so saying we’re going to stop any expenditure until then is a bit of a moot point,” he said.
Cr Widenbar said the officer recommendations to support the outcomes of the fauna, flora and heritage surveys were important for future planning in general.
“This is all stuff that should be happening regardless of if we continue with the golf course – it’s worthy of continuing our understanding of the ecology of the site,” he said.
“None of this is costing money. I don’t see why we would stop all that work when it doesn’t cost us anything or delay anything else.”
Cr Dewan said he would rather allocate city resources towards “higher priority projects,” such as repairing slides at Cockburn Arc or providing more playgrounds and other community amenities.
“That’s the purpose of our council — to make sure our ratepayer funded money benefits a larger population, not a small group of golfers in a higher income bracket,” he said.
The current consultancy of the site’s golf provision will continue, and a findings report will be provided to council later this year.
