12:00a.m. 9th July 2008

| By Bill Hoffman

Peter Sanday and Jane Beck, front, head up a group of residents worried about a development proposal at Twin Waters. They shared their concerns with councillor Debbie Blumel, centre. Photo: Chris McCormack/175862a

The Twin Waters golf course could be lost to development if Lend Lease’s plans to replace the six attached tennis courts with a 14-lot subdivision are approved.

Residents fear not only the loss of the open recreational space that would occur but also the precedent that would be created.

Jane Beck, who helped prepare a submission objecting to the proposal, said the courts were an important piece of social infrastructure.

Ms Beck said that despite a lack of maintainance at the courts and that lights for night tennis were no longer available, hundreds of people used the courts. She said the resultant precedent would put the golf course at risk.

Twin Waters Residents Association president Geoff Billard said a submission objecting to the application would be made on behalf of his association’s 262 financial members.

He said conversion of open recreational space to a residential zoning did not satisfy the test that the community would be better off as a consequence.

The proposal would see eight of the 14 lots below the minimum 600 square metre size for that precinct. There was no detail relating to the two courts which Lend Lease said in its proposal would be gifted to the community.

The company’s claim that it had developed the application in consultation with the association is at odds with the association submission and Mr Billard’s call for members to also submit individual objections.

Lend Lease project director Warren Thomson said in a statement that the firm had looked at a number of options for the site in the past three years and considered the application lodged last year to be a balanced outcome.

The statement did not address the issue of promotion of the six-court tennis centre as a community asset but said the two unlit courts included in the proposal would be “community owned” in a way acceptable to all.

Sunshine Coast councillor Debbie Blumel said the courts had been described as community facilities in the marketing of the estate.

She said many residents had purchased in the estate because of them.

Submissions relating to the proposal must be lodged by next Monday.