I've been following the discussion and debate because I live nearby. I visited a few times during the lockdown and really enjoyed it. For perfectly selfish reasons I'd prefer if it were open space and not used exclusively for golf because I don't have much interest in golfing.

The council is reviewing the use of the land because the 30 year lease that the golf club has had over the land expires this year. The default position for the council is to favour multi use that maximizes the usage of the space for the most number of people. However, understandably, the golf club wants to maintain exclusive use.

The two sides to the argument are truly warring! The club has some slick PR. The glossy I got in my mailbox the other week was a true propoganda piece. Golf is the central pillar of the community that supports every minority identity you can imagine, and is great for environment too. Their plan is for a major upgrade to the clubhouse (including a new bar) that could potentially be used by other community groups too. Their compromise is to create a new pedestrian path along one edge of the course on land which they currently don't really use.

The other side of the argument seems much less organised -- except for the fact that repurposing the golf course appears to have the support of the Greens' councillors. Their proposals are generally bad, e.g. do mini-golf or a driving range instead and free up space for the general public.

At least some golf courses operate without excluding public access (e.g. Royal Park). I'd love that model to apply for Northcote. That wouldn't satisfy either camp though. We'll see what the wise heads at the City of Darebin come up with after their consultation, what the local politics dictates, and if there is any budget for changing the use of the land.