Lane Cove Council Gives Green Light to a Sport and Rec Facility at Lane Cove Golf Course

At the August Lane Cove Council Meeting held on 18th August 2022, Lane Cove Councillors voted to progress the design and construction of a Sport and Recreational Facility with a maximum of 8 courts (4 indoor and four multi-purpose outdoor courts) at 180 River Road Lane Cove. It will cost around $75 million to design and construct the facility.

Patrons will access the site by a new set of traffic lights at the current entrance on River Road. This will mean the current Lane Cove Golf Club Building, River Road Tennis facility buildings and all other buildings currently on the site will be removed. The Lane Cove Golf Course will remain as is.

It took nearly three hours for the councillors to decide on the final concept plan and location. The councillors had been provided with the options below:

Option 1:         Revised Facility with a new entrance at River Rd site with 5 Indoor / 4 Outdoor Courts

Option 2:         Revised Facility with a new entry at River Rd site with 4 Indoor / 4 Outdoor Courts

Option 3a:       Acquire property in Lane Cove West Business Park and adapt to 4 Indoor Courts

Option 3b:       At River Rd site, rebuild existing outdoor courts converting them to 4 multi-courts & construct a new Golf Club House.

Option 3c:       Combine 3a. + 3b.

Three Votes

The final decision on the Sport and Recreation Facility was decided after three votes.

First Vote

Councillor Scott Benison moved that Option 1 above be approved with the building having a 4-star environmental rating. The first vote was 4 For and 4 Against (David Brooks Horn did not vote due to a conflict of interest). The Mayor did not use his casting vote, so the motion was lost.

Second Vote

Councillor Rochelle Flood moved that Council should proceed with Option 3 (c). Premises should be found in Lane Cove West for four indoor courts, and the current courts at River Road should be upgraded. As a second step, the Lane Cove Golf Clubhouse would be renovated. The vote was 4 Against and 3 For and Kathy Bryla Abstained. (David Brooks Horn did not vote due to a conflict of interest. The motion was lost.

Third Vote

Councillor Kathy Bryla moved a motion to design and construct a Sport and Recreational Facility with a maximum of 8 courts (4 indoor and four multipurpose outdoor courts) at 180 River Road Lane Cove. The building design is to be a 5-star environmental building. Councillor Bryla’s intention was to reduce the building’s footprint and environmental impact.

Green Star Buildings is Australia’s leading rating tool for new buildings and major refurbishments.

Green Star Buildings sets out the criteria that must be met to deliver healthy, resilient, and positive places for people and nature. It aims to meet current and future demands on the built environment with aspirational benchmarks for addressing the critical issues of the next decade: Climate action, resource efficiency, and health and wellbeing. Find out more about the Green Star Rating system here.

The vote was Sevenn For and Rochelle Flood Abstained. (David Brooks Horn did not vote due to a conflict of interest. The motion was passed.

The Approved floor plan will look something like the concept plan below (note the resolution stated a maximum of 8 courts – it was also agreed that a report should be provided on the indicative costs of a 7-court centre).

How Will the Project be Funded?

Sources of funding are set out below:

Previous Approval

Previously Lane Cove Council had approved 5 indoor and four outdoor multipurpose outdoor courts with the entrance via a Roundabout on Stevenson Street and River Road.

The plans were for a two-level multi-sports facility (with a partial third-level mezzanine) and were estimated to cost nearly $52 Million to build. GST has to be added to this figure.

The building was to be 6 800 sqm with a maximum height of 16m (RL44.8) and include:

• 4 020 sqm of indoor multi-sports halls (5 courts located in two halls);
• 249 sqm Bistro (including an additional 115 sqm for outdoor seating);
• 774.9 sqm of multipurpose space shared between 6 rooms;
• 108 sqm of function space and 58 sqm of meeting rooms; and
• 479 sqm of centre amenities, staff facilities and administration.

Level 1 included two multipurpose rooms to provide an opportunity for uses such as a gym and minor retail.

There will also be an arrivals plaza (aka a forecourt).

In March 2022, the Lane Cove Council withdrew DA 64/2021 for the Lane Cove Sport and Recreation Facility located at the Lane Cove Golf Course. The Councillors wanted to ensure all options had been thoroughly investigated and there was a business case supporting a Sport and Recreation Facility.

The Plan that was previously approved and part of DA 64/2021 is below:

Next Steps

Lane Cove Council is to proceed with concept planning and obtaining reports from the Architect, a business model, and a sustainability report on how to reach a 5-star environmental rating.

The matter will next be reviewed at the September 2022 Lane Cove Council meeting, and after that, concept plans will exhibit for community consultation, and a community workshop will be held.

Lane Cove Council indicated they would like the centre to be finished by 2025.