The Fairbairn golf course covers 65 hectares near Canberra Airport. Photo: Facebook.
Fairbairn Golf Club members are in shock after their course was listed among 68 Defence properties to be sold off, despite the club only signing a new five-year lease last July.
The 65-hectare course was established in the 1960s on a former Royal Australian Air Force base and is adjacent to Canberra Airport, which could be a potential suitor.
Club president Brian Depree was on the course when he received an email from a Defence mate letting him know about the announcement.
“We were certainly shocked,” Mr Depree said. “It came out of the blue.”
He will learn more on Tuesday when he meets with a Defence official to discuss next steps.
One of his questions will be what changed, given that it was believed the course served as a green buffer between the live-fire range and homes.
Mr Depree said the news puts on hold the club’s investment decisions as part of a 10-year development plan for the course.
The club had expressed interest in acquiring the golf course, but realistically, it would not be able to compete in the commercial market.
Mr Depree had no idea of timeframes, but the new lease may not be of comfort, given there is a clause for exceptional circumstances, although Defence was not known for moving quickly.
“Defence is historically slow, and I’m not sure this is the most attractive land to sell compared to some of those others that they are looking to sell,” he said.
“So, whether there’s any interest, I guess time will tell.”
A bird’s eye view of the course and the adjacent Canberra Airport. Photo: Fairbairn Golf Club.
The other unknown issue is the extent of contamination from PFAS in firefighting foam.
Mr Depree said Defence had been testing on the edges of the course near the old firefighting area, and low amounts had been detected in the course soil.
“Whether that’s going to stop anyone developing it, I’m not an expert on that,” he said.
Fairbairn has 882 members from across Canberra; many are ex-Defence, but there are few current Defence members.
Mr Depree had told them that it was business as usual at the club, which he said offered the cheapest game in Canberra.
Canberra Airport’s Group Head of Property Richard Snow said on Thursday at a Property Council event that the sale was an obvious opportunity to integrate the 65 ha into the Airport’s holdings, but he remained cautious.
“We just have to work out how that golf course is going to be sold, what are the restrictions, what it all means,” he said.
“It’s in an interesting location in, I suppose, a more Defence-focused precinct, but it’s to be seen what that’s all going to mean really.”
At present, the land could not be used for housing, and Property Council ACT & Capital Region Executive Director Ashlee Berry believed the best use of it would be to boost the supply of industrial and commercial land in the ACT, given it was in an area known for warehousing and logistics operations.
“We have other sites that really should be focused on housing, and it’s something that should be focused on commercial and industrial land,” she said.
