Local authority management in Cork city and county should issue clear signals that they will not allow sports clubs within suburban areas to be rezoned for housing, the Green Party deputy for Cork South Central, Dan Boyle, said yesterday.
Mr Boyle said he was particularly concerned about a proposal that will be voted on by members of Douglas Golf Club tonight to sell the 116-acre course on Maryborough Hill to Castlelands Construction with a view to having the area developed for housing.
Members of Douglas Golf Club were last month briefed on proposals from Castlelands Construction to purchase the golf club on Maryborough Hill in a €170 million deal.
It would involve the club relocating to a new site at Carr's Hill near Carrigaline.
The package would involve a cash payment to Douglas Golf Club of €50 million, with the remaining €120 million being invested in a 36-hole golfing facility at Carr's Hill, which would include a golf academy and a clubhouse.
Douglas Golf Club is currently zoned as an amenity area within Cork County Council's green belt area.
According to property sources, the property could be worth several hundred million euro if rezoning for housing development was permitted.
The golf club has more than 900 members and they are due to meet tonight in the Rochestown Park Hotel in Cork to consider the proposal.
A spokesman for the golf club yesterday declined to comment on the proposal, saying it was an internal matter.
However, Mr Boyle said the proposed deal could have serious implications for Douglas.
He said the area was already suffering from major traffic congestion and lacked the necessary infrastructure to accommodate any further major housing development.
"Maryborough is already overdeveloped and is already a major traffic blackspot," he said.
"What we need to do is retain existing recreational grounds and sports amenities and preserve green belt areas rather than allowing them to be developed with further housing."
Mr Boyle said he was encouraged by recent comments from Cork city manager Joe Gavin that Cork Constitution's grounds at Temple Hill would not be rezoned after it emerged that the rugby club had been offered €30 million and a replacement ground if it sold the property.
"I think both the city council and the county council have to send out a clear message to developers that sports clubs will not be rezoned for development.
"We need to retain recreational areas within cities, and not give them up for further development," said Mr Boyle.
