Magazine - Federal Golf Club in Land Sell Off.

Federal Golf Club is proposing to sell four hectares of its prime land on the western side of Red Hill for a housing development.

The club, which has seen its membership decline steadily, would use the millions of dollars raised to drought-proof its greens and fairways.

While the sale is likely to outrage some local residents, the ACT Minister for Sport and Planning, Andrew Barr, has said that he would probably support it. The club's general manager, Chris Hume, said about 50 or 60 houses could fit on the land at the highest point of the course, but a hotel and aged person's independent-living village would also be appropriate.

"It would be a very desirable piece of land considering the views are fantastic down over the golf course, through Woden to the Brindabellas," he said. "We've had five or six companies express an interest in the land without us actively seeking a developer."

The club needs about $1million to replace all the grass with a drought-tolerant species and build two water dams. However, the member-owned business has not made a profit for many years.

"Drought has ravaged the course, we've got trees dying ... and dry, barren and clumpy patches, and eventually we are going to run out of money.

"The golf course is considered to be one of the finest in inland Australia, and we want to get it back to that standard. Membership [fees] has risen to a level we can't raise it any more."

The club hopes to get a discount on betterment tax of up to 70 per cent of the sale price on the basis it is a community body seeking to become self-sufficient.

Andrew Chamberlain, of Peter Blackshaw Real Estate, said if the land was carved into blocks of average size for the area, they could sell for more than $800,000 each.

"Building a new house is becoming more popular in the areas nearby and the trend is to see a lot of old houses knocked down," he said.

Federal Golf Club will celebrate 75 years since its establishment next year, making it one of Canberra's oldest organisations.

It has already reduced its water consumption by almost half and has several bores.

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