Niall
Make the proposed plans public, let the crap hit the fan and have something, anything, emerge from that.
I could not agree more with this. The manner in which these plans were crafted and announced can lead observers to reach one of two conclusions:
1) The powers that be were so sure that these changes were correct and fully warranted that no debate was required, or
2) The powers were not so sure of their plans, and feared that they might be halted by the outcry. So move the dirt quickly and hunker down.
If the former is true, then the plans should certainly be able to stand up to a public airing. Good plans, by definition, would earn the respect and support of many architects, golfers, owners of the links, etc.
If it is the latter, it is a sign of weakness, not strength, to have rushed ahead.
Whatever motivated the leaders to act quickly, the process did great damage to the chances of these alterations being widely accepted as positive changes.