Cardinia Shire Council is set to leave the future of Pakenham Golf Course up to those who can produce the best proposal, with the submission and assessment of interested parties likely to be the next stage.
The agenda for the next council meeting on Monday includes an item to endorse an Expression of Interest process by council officers.
This is not an endorsement of the continuation of golf by the council; rather, submissions to the process will be confined to the three options previously endorsed by the council: continuation of golf, a sports reserve, or a public park.
However, if the process is adopted, it will heavily favour golf, as there are already interested parties in managing the course.
This follows the recent consultation on the three options, where the council revealed that 82 percent of over 500 survey respondents expressed support for golf.
Before the consultation, a feasibility study commissioned by the council found that the continuation of golf was viable and in demand.
Even though golf is heavily favoured, the council’s lack of direct endorsement precedes this proposed process to confirm whether any interested parties are organisationally and financially capable of managing the golf course.
The golf course has closed twice in the last several years due to financial pressures of running the course.
The continuation of the golf course comes with an estimated $1.7 million repair job to the irrigation system and the greens, which led to the most recent closure after the previous manager decided not to continue with their lease.
If the process is approved and finds a party that can manage the course with minimal risk, then the council is likely to endorse golf.
This item will be considered at the next council meeting on Monday, 17 November.
