Mbark’s Federal Golf Club retirement village gets key backing

The modern-day planning saga in the nation’s capital – which began in October 2015 when retirement village developer Mbark signed a 99-year peppercorn lease with Federal Golf Club – has taken a significant step forward.

Under that agreement, Mbark lodged a development application for a 125-dwelling retirement village on 7ha of land attached to the 85ha golf course in Red Hill, a project the club said was essential to its long-term viability.

On 10 November, the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) reaffirmed its 2022 position that construction of the village would not have a significant impact on any protected flora or fauna. This followed advice from the ACT Conservator of Flora and Fauna that the development is unlikely to cause a significant adverse environmental impact.

DCCEEW was required to reconsider its decision after lobby group Friends of Federal Fairways (FOFF) wrote to Federal Environment Minister Murray Watt in August requesting a review.

The development application will now return to the ACT Civil & Administrative Tribunal (ACAT), which must decide whether to reapprove the over-55s development. In September, the ACT Supreme Court set aside ACAT’s previous decision to overturn the development approval, finding an administrative error had been made.

Mbark Co-Founder and Managing Director David Consalvi said the latest decisions represented a “strong endorsement of the proposal’s environmental credentials”.

“The Conservator and DCCEEW have had the opportunity to review the same information in reaching their separate decisions,” he said.

“The retirement village approval remains in front of ACAT, which now has the most current set of environmental approvals conceivable – one only days old – on which to rely in remaking its decision.”