A proposal for an 18-hole short golf course to be located on the Second Line of Mono has been given support in principle by Mono Council with little opposition from neighbouring residents.

The application was made by Khwaja Ajib, president of 1294365 Ontario Ltd. (operating as Dufferin Glen), which owns the property.

Mr. Ajib told those present at an earlier public meeting held by Mono's Planning and Environmental Advisory Committee that the golf course length will be about 4,000 yards and include 10 par threes with little fairway that will require irrigation.

A number of businesses in the area have given their support to the development. The two neighbouring residents support the idea of the golf course but have a few concerns they would like addressed before full approval is given.

Norm Allen's main concerns were the location of the 14th and 15th greens. He wanted to see the 14th green moved farther from his property as it could put those sitting at his campfire and entertaining area at risk of being hit. He also wanted the 15th green moved farther to reduce noise from golfers and machines.

Another of his concerns was water usage. He had been told his well might be affected by the golf course's pump during the summer months. He wants to be assured his well is deep enough to deal with any reduced water levels.

Mr. Ajib has moved the location of the two greens in his plans and said they were already above industry standards. As far as the water issue goes, he said he is following guidelines set by the Ministry of the Environment (MOE).

All the technical data has been sent into the MOE where calculations are done on the amount of water used. Currently he has a permit to use 50,000 cubic metres of water per day.

If the golf course uses more he will lose his permit. The MOE requires Mr. Ajib to send in daily statistics every week.

Mr. Ajib said they are the watchdogs when it comes to the water issue and that Mr. Allen's well can be monitored without having to bring it up to standards.

Bob Burnside wants to see a fence raised to keep out potential trespassers.

"While we know that a fence does not guarantee that there will be no minor trespass by a golfer wandering or looking for a lost ball, it will deter the crossing of the boundary line to some extent and generally reduce the intrusion, in our opinion," Mr. Burnside and his wife wrote in a letter to council.

Mr. Ajib has agreed to install a fence along the north side of the property to help keep trespassers off the Burnside and Allen properties.

Mr. Ajib will need to bring a revised site plan and documentation showing he has satisfied the concerns and comments from the Planning Advisory Committee, Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA), the Credit Valley Conservation Authority (CVC), the County of Dufferin and residents who attended the public meeting on Tuesday before being granted full approval for a zoning bylaw amendment.