AusLeisure

A section of the City of Darebin’s Northcote Golf Course will be made available for public use after the Council voted earlier this week to allow recreational access after 3pm.

Opened for non-golfing activities during pandemic lockdowns, residents had subsequently campaigned to permanently convert to golf course into park land.

However, under a compromise plan approved by a meeting of the Council, Northcote Public Golf Course will be retained as a nine-hole course, but with a portion of its converted to parkland.

The Council will also seek to restrict golfers from accessing the greens after 3pm as it renegotiates a golf course management contract for the site, opening up the space for picnics, sport and other recreational activities.

City of Darebin Mayor Lina Messina said the decision, which followed more than two hours of public submissions and deliberations on Monday night, was unlikely to please everybody, but was “the best we can achieve at this particular time”.

She added “for me, it’s a win-win. A win-win for the golfers and a win-win for the community.

“For me, it’s about what makes economic sense.

"We've worked hard to balance our passionate community's wide range of views with this decision.

"Despite some people wanting to see this important space used purely for golf or as a park, (this) outcome meets everyone in the middle.

"Not only is it a win for the community but it's also a win for golfers and it's a win for entrepreneurs and budding operators to see how they can use the site."

As part of the plan, 5.72 hectares of land at the southern and northern ends of the course will be turned into local parks and linked by a shared path.

The redesign will see the golf course keep its nine holes with the Council to investigate ways to use the existing buildings for hospitality and events.

Image: Concept for repurposing parts of the Northcote Golf Course.

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