Proposed Development
For over 100 years Wentworth Falls Country Club has been an integral part of the
community as the village has grown. Unfortunately, over recent years the club has been in serious financial decline. Last year the Club’s auditors determined that the finances were such that the club would not survive into 2025.
The Board considered a number of alternatives to fulfil the Club’s key priorities; to maintain an 18-hole golf course, and to revitalise the Club and its range of services for members and the community.
Following a review of its options, the Club’s Board and its Members (via three separate votes) have determined that a small boutique seniors living development will deliver the club the maximum opportunity to both preserve and renew the course, and the Club facility.
After five months of negotiation, the Club finalised a partnership with Verso Projects on the 15th of December 2024 to allow them to seek development approval for a seniors living village on 9% of the Club’s property.
The Board strongly believes that the village is best served by having a sustainable country club and ensuring it stays within the control of the local community. We have gone out of our way to locate the sites to minimise the impact on local residences while considering matters such as flooding, fire and other constraints for a development such as this.
Now that the Club’s survival has been guaranteed for many years, we are turning our attention to improving and growing our offering for members and residents.
We are in advanced negotiations to rent out the upstairs area of the clubhouse to a well- known and successful hospitality provider, with the intention of opening a new restaurant/bar later this year. We are also investigating other opportunities such as the possibility of installing an indoor golf simulator and pickleball courts to further enhance our appeal within the local community.
We want to reinstate Wentworth Falls Country Club as an integral part of the local community that it once was.
FAQs
Do you have a question not answered here?
Why is WFCC considering a development?
For the past two decades golf membership at Wentworth Falls Country Club has slowly declined, whilst the cost to run and maintain the Club and course has substantially increased.
Without exploring development options, the Club would have entered liquidation in December 2024.
Whilst it is recognised that reducing the golf course land area is not a desirable outcome, this solution allows the preservation of more than 90% of the current golf course, maintaining a substantial green space within the north Wentworth Falls neighbourhood.
This injection of funds will also allow the Club to reach an agreement with a new operator to refurbish and re-open the clubhouse’s upstairs restaurant, entertainment and events venue for the community. The course will undergo a redesign to ensure it remains an 18-hole course and the Club can now undertake critical maintenance and updates to the facility.
Why doesn’t Council just make it public land?
The land is not owned by Council.
The course is privately owned and run as an independent business. If the Club enters liquidation, it would likely be sold by an administrator with funds directed by the administrator’s directions. New owners would likely look to rezone the entire course for an alternate use.
Development Update
Verso Projects has entered into a contract with Wentworth Falls Country Club with the aim of creating a new boutique living community for seniors on a relatively small section of the golf course.
Both the Club and Verso Projects wanted to bring this to the wider community as soon as possible – and we began community and stakeholder consultation less than one month after the execution of the contract. Consequently, the design process is currently in its infancy, however this allows for consideration of feedback during this process in informing the final submitted design.
Why has this been kept a secret?
It hasn’t. The Club’s Board has been exploring revenue options for over two years. The Board presented these options to member meetings during the course of 2024. Members voted on three separate occasions in favour of the redevelopment of a small portion of the golf course land as the most feasible pathway to a sustainable future for Wentworth Falls Country Club.
Stakeholder and community consultation has already begun, with design work being undertaken during and immediately following this process. The plan is for the DA to be lodged in the second half of 2025, with construction to start in late 2026 at best.
How much disruption will this cause to our neighbourhood?
The design process is in its infancy. This will be a significant consideration throughout the community consultation process.
We expect the design and approval to take around 18-24 months before any physical work commences. There will obviously be some disruption, however we aim to minimise it wherever we can.
How will the Club be sustainable into the future?
The development agreement gives the club an injection of money for Verso Projects to seek a DA on an agreed 9% area of the course. A further cash injection will flow from the sale of the land if the DA is approved, while the Club will receive a revenue share of future sales.
Unlike a traditional sale to a developer that builds and sells; the proposed development will be a leasehold village where the Club receives income from each home sale in the future. The operator of the village is responsible for the maintenance and care of the homes and the infrastructure. Therefore, it’s important that it is a quality development where people want to live. This is important to both the Club and Verso Projects.
How do we know this won’t be an eyesore?
We are still in the initial stages of design and will be consulting with the community over the next few months – which will help inform the final designs. However, we are
committed to ensuring the design fits seamlessly into the existing neighbourhood.
The homes will be mostly single-story and will include a mix of materials consistent with the upper mountains – such as stone, render, timber cladding. These are high-quality homes.
Engagement so far
Wentworth Falls Country Club has been updating its Members regularly. Both parties have commenced engagement with local residents in early January. These meetings were preliminary, and we recognise at this point of the process there are more questions than answers.
The purpose of the preliminary meeting was to meet, understand what’s critically important, and learn what you know about the area.
While this is not the ideal scenario for some in the community, we are confident that the benefits that this agreement can deliver the Club will be a positive for the area.
Regardless, both Wentworth Falls Country Club (as an existing member of the community) and Verso Projects (as a hopeful future member of the community) are committed to engaging with those affected, and to seeking a strong understanding of everyone’s perspectives.
Common Themes Post Meeting Neighbours
From our initial consultation we have already collated a series of common themes such as flooding, bushfire and ecology. We will address all of these during the design development with input from relevant technical consultants.
Proposed Areas
How can you contact us?
We will be providing updates on this page when appropriate.
We have also set up the following contact email for residents and members:
KEY DOCUMENTS
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