The elite Manly Golf Club on Sydney’s Northern Beaches has agreed to remove unauthorised building works around its eighth tee, following a long-running dispute with Northern Beaches Council.
The unauthorised works included the construction of two sandstone retaining walls, earth fill, changes to the ground level and planting of turf along a section of Manly Lagoon.
As a result of the works, native vegetation was removed from the golf course which sits within in a flood prone coastal wetland zone and an endangered ecological community.
The council rejected the club’s application for building consent and instead ordered the removal of the walls and a return to the previous state of the site within 90 days.
The club challenged the order by launching an appeal to the Land and Environment Court. The council and club subsequently reached an agreement that included partial demolition of the walls and various other works to restore the site.
The court approved the agreement on Friday and has given the club 180 days to complete the restoration works. The club will be required to submit a survey and have environmental consultants review the works.
