Maintaining, and in fact improving, more than 80 hectares of fairways is a lot more than lawn mowing and financial management of equipment.

The continued operation of a club house and catering facilities well exceeds bookkeeping and bar tending.

As a 20-year residential member of Horizons Estate, I know the history of this development from the outset and believe a significant part of the failure of this resort four years ago rests with the Port Stephens Council of that time, which in my opinion was anti-development.

The original Horizons development plans approved included a high-rise, five star hotel, clubhouse, restaurant and proshop but the original Japanese developer did not proceed with this because of slow land sales well below budget prices and a fire sale of 60 per cent of the residential estate.

Le Meilleur Construction Company of Korea are a company involved in the building of sports centres and multi-storey residential buildings.

In 2005 they purchased Horizons through a subsidiary company with the intention of building a high-rise, resort-style 100-room hotel to encourage international, particularly Korean, golfers to fly direct to Newcastle airport by charter jet to play here.

Having spent a significant amount developing detailed plans, a delegation came here to present them to the council for approval, which was denied because it exceeded the 15-metre height limit of the council at the time.

Naturally the chairman who had been enthusiastic about the development was devastated.

Subsequently he lost interest and walked away from the resort.

Would this happen today? Who knows. Perhaps the current council would approve it.

It is becoming increasingly difficult to maintain a viable golf resort business with falling participation rates across all golf clubs.

Many resorts have been sold.

Whether any buyers will be interested in Horizons we can only wait and see?

K Grant

Salamander Bay