The Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal has overturned Yarra Ranges Shire Council’s decision to allow the Eastern Golf Club to move from the current location in Melbourne, Australia to a new location in Yering.

The opposing groups, which included Friends of the Earth, said the new development ran the risk of contaminating Melbourne’s drinking water and also questioned access and evacuation routes to and from the site.

Friends of the Earth Spokesperson Anthony Amis said: “It is incredible that Yarra Ranges Shire Council, Melbourne Water, Greg Norman Course Design and numerous consultants would have contemplated access to a site through five metres of potential floodwater. Why was it up to community groups to highlight this glaring omission?”