“We are still all waiting on the completion of the golf course even before the club gets done. At the moment we have to play [the same nine] holes twice, and Metro want to take another hole out of play for the next 100 houses precinct to be registered.”
Beyond Bingara Gorge, which does have existing water infrastructure, there are housing blocks being sold in other Wilton estates without sewer services, amid grand plans to turn a semi-rural village 80 km from Sydney into a town the size of Bathurst or Port Macquarie.
The local Wollondilly Shire Council estimates about $2.8 billion is needed to develop water, sewerage and other local infrastructure and has called for the rezoning of land around Wilton to slow down so that infrastructure development can catch up.
“There is already a shortfall in funding for infrastructure at Wilton and opening up another massive development front at Appin will only see growth areas competing for the same inadequate bucket of money to put vital infrastructure in place,” Wollondilly Shire Mayor Matt Gould said.
Metro, led by former Financial Review Young Rich Lister Luke Hartman, acquired the balance of the giant estate from Lendlease for about $220 million in May 2021 after Chinese developer Poly Global walked away from advanced negotiations with Lendlease.
In January 2022, Metro added the neighbouring, partly completed golf course to its Bingara Gorge landholdings. It had hoped to complete the bridge linking all 18 holes by September last year and finish the country club this year.
The newly proposed pavilion-style country club will include a family bistro and bar, large outdoor kids play area, beer garden, sports bar and multiple function spaces on a 7280 sq m site adjacent to the golf course.
Prominent Sydney hotelier Feros Group has signed on to operate the country club once up and running.
Mr Hartman said the Bingara Gorge Country Club would become “the meeting place” for Wollondilly residents.
“It will be one of the best leisure and entertainment facilities in the region and is the next step in delivering Bingara Gorge’s vision to create a world-class residential estate,” Mr Hartman said.
Plans for the neighbourhood shopping centre include a 3,000 sq m supermarket, 13 specialty tenancies and a plaza with outdoor and indoor dining, public amenities and 200 parking spaces.