But a proposal to build a retirement village on part of the golf course on Sydney's northern beaches has put Bayview Golf Club on a collision course with its neighbours.

A spokesman for residents opposed to the development, Christopher Fletcher, said it would destroy an important wildlife corridor.

"Apart from a wide variety of flora, there are at least eight species native to the site listed as endangered or vulnerable including the powerful owl, black cockatoo and [a] microbat colony," he said.

The $84 million development submitted by Waterbrook Bayview Pty Ltd proposes seven buildings up to four storeys high housing 95 apartments plus basement parking for 186 cars off Cabbage Tree Road in Bayview.

The retirement village, which is intended to be built on land sold by the golf club for $10 million, also features a cafe, restaurant, winery, hair salon and gym, with nursing services provided to residents.

The proposed development seeks to reconfigure the golf course to accommodate the retirement village and raise sections of the course to improve "playability" and reduce the risk of flood.

It also proposes the removal of more than 150 trees, mitigated by "significant revegetation" of the site.

Residents of the retirement village would be given membership of the club, which opened in 1929.

David Stone, the general manager of Bayview Golf Club, said the "real purpose" of the development "is to provide the resources to do things that a not-for-profit northern beaches, locals golf club could not hope to afford".

It comes after the club was put in a "fragile financial position" after its board decided in 2007 to build a new clubhouse at a cost of $7.2 million.

"The decision to divert the club's resources to a new clubhouse, in combination with the financial losses the club incurs annually from lost playing days resulting from inclement weather and poor drainage and floor mitigation, has left it in a fragile financial position," according to the development application.

Mr Stone said the northern beaches had a growing population of people over the age of 65, yet an undersupply of seniors living accommodation - a claim disputed by Mr Fletcher who said the area already had a number of aged-care facilities.

Mr Fletcher also said the development should be knocked back because the area's "existing infrastructure is already at breaking point".

An online petition calling on the NSW Planning Minister, Anthony Roberts, to ban development on the site to protect vulnerable species has attracted more than 3500 signatures.

A letter attached to the petition and addressed to Mr Roberts and two of his ministerial colleagues states: "There are no benefits at all for the local community, other than a financial benefit for the private golf club members."

A website created by opponents states the golf course is the wrong place to build a retirement village: "The Liberals' one-size-fits-all approach to planning the growth of our city fails to take into account the unique character of areas like Bayview.

"We need a planning system that allows these unique areas to flourish with appropriate development, without being lost in a sea of high-rise apartments."

The proposed retirement village has been plagued with controversy - the NSW Department of Planning and Environment refused to give the development the green light in 2015 because of issues associated with building design, flooding and ecology.

A revised proposal, which reduced building heights and the number of apartments as well as taking account of environmental concerns was approved by the DPE in 2016, which issued a site compatibility certificate under the State Environmental Planning Policy for Seniors Housing.

The Liberal member for Pittwater, Education Minister Rob Stokes, expressed concerns about the proposed development in 2017, telling the Manly Daily: "It is not an appropriate place for multistorey residential apartment buildings."

However, Mr Stokes, a former planning minister, said in a statement to the Herald that he expected concerns about the development to be "carefully examined".

"Whilst a number of changes have been made since the original proposal, I appreciate that concerns remain regarding the placement and height of the proposed buildings," he said.

The development application is on public exhibition until February 12. It will be assessed by Northern Beaches Council, which will provide a report with recommendations to the Sydney North Planning Panel.