Building on Golf Courses

[Neilds]

Interesting debate coming up on R2, Jeremy Vine this lunchtime about a recent study saying you can solve the housing crisis by building on golf courses
Apparently you can get 100 houses on the average fairway and golf courses are only used by white, elderly people so they can give up their land with no problems!!!

 

[Lord Tyrion]

I heard the intro. It must be a very quiet news day for them if this is a story they are running.

 

[Deleted member 23344]

Nothing new in that suggestion sadly … several courses lost to housing recently and others under threat. Developers are well aware of the opportunities. As his Lordship says, it must be a slow news day.

 

[AddisonRoad]

Unfortunately, I know a few people who think along these lines. However, there's plenty of green space throughout the country that could be used for development. I think it's the incorrect belief that golf is somehow only for elites that makes people push for them to be demolished and used for new estates.

@Canary Kid - I imagine the courses lost to housing development weren't being used enough or were owned by councils? I can't imagine many member clubs wanting to get rid of their courses?

 

[Deleted member 23344]

In West Sussex, Hassocks was privately owned (not a members club) and went for housing. Another privately owned club, Ilfield, has been purchased by a developer and leased back, so I guess it is on borrowed time. I am led to believe that it was started in the early 20th century by several guys who held a share each … roll on 100 years and those shares were owned by descendants with no interest in golf and so they were receptive to offers from the developer. Rookwood is council owned and clearly on borrowed time … it has been saved for the time being by the fact that recent widespread development in the Horsham area has adversely affected the water table. Strangely, vineyards have been a killer in West Sussex too. West Chiltington was sold for vineyards and the Kingfisher course at Mannings Heath was reduced to 9 holes for the same reason … same vineyard owner.

 

[sunshine]

Golf courses are an inefficient use of public space. In areas where public space is a scarce resource, e.g. London, it might make sense to redeploy the land.

Some things to think about:
- What if there are already lots of courses in the area (ie over supply)?
- Would the land serve the community better as football pitches, playgrounds etc? Not many people play golf.
- Does the course have any historic or architectural merit (e.g. a Colt classic)?
- What is the land suitable for? Many golf courses are built alongside rivers or on undulating land and aren't really suitable for housing anyway.


London golf courses could provide homes for 300,000 people, study says | Planning policy | The Guardian

 

[Neilds]

One bloke came on the radio and said there is a course near him and it is beautiful to walk around and would make a lovely area for houses. When another caller countered that it wouldn't be such a nice area to walk around if loads of houses were built there, he had no answer

 

[jim8flog]

I wonder if they considered the impact on nature and wild life.

We are very pro wildlife where I play and lots of area were once designated as 'no mow' etc areas to encourage the wild life in to them.

 

[IanM]

Usual trolling by BBC. They need to get their story straight.

If millions of Europeans have "fled the UK," there can no longer be a housing shortage!

 

[GB72]

The problem is that golf has done little to counter the public perception of the sport and those who participate and, in my experience, that stereotype remains alive and well at some clubs. As such, trying to get public support to block any such applications would be pretty difficult.

Clubs may have done themselves harm by trying to do good during covid as well. Those that opened themselves up to the public when golf was banned gave people a beautiful, well manicured area to enjoy and emotions were quite high when that was taken away again. I know that developing the area would remove that but you would not be surprised the amount of people who look at something and think that if they cannot have it, why should anyone else.

Golf still has an image problem and so many will be fully in support of removing courses for other purposes.

 

[Crazyface]

Housing estates are shooting up all around in Cheshire. It's crazy. No road infrastructure being built. No extra staff in A+E, which is now rammed morning noon and night, I know because my daughter in law now works at the hospital. Golf courses (most) are empty in an afternoon, no wonder they are targets for housing developers. Maybe a reduction in the costs to play would help? £95 to play Beau Desert now. I was going to do this on the way back for hols. But not now.

 

[Mel Smooth]

Did he play Build by The Housemartins in between the callers phing in to discuss the topic?

 

[Orikoru]

Convert Buckingham Palace into flats first and then we'll talk.

 

[AddisonRoad]

It also amazes me that people don't understand the value of undeveloped land. It's not just enjoyable to walk around - it also prevents flooding. People's desire to fill every single space in London with concrete will also lead to increased flood risks. Yet another reason why there needs to be more investment in other cities to spread the nation's population more widely.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Usual trolling by BBC. They need to get their story straight.

If millions of Europeans have "fled the UK," there can no longer be a housing shortage!

Depends where the empty housing has been created by departed Europeans. I am guessing much of it will be in London or inner areas of other cities and we don’t all want to live in London or inner city locations.

 

[Deleted member 23270]

I recently engaged in a twitter discussion with a guy that claimed we have plenty of room in the UK for immigrants, he tried to convince me that the country is not heavily populated ?

 

[Voyager EMH]

We do not need to build on golf courses.
What we need are new towns. Present ones are all big enough.
A purpose built administrative UK capital could be one of these along the lines of Washington DC, Canberra etc. London could remain England's capital.
New towns are too easily opposed and golf courses are too easy a target for developers.

 

[fundy]

Unfortunately, I know a few people who think along these lines. However, there's plenty of green space throughout the country that could be used for development. I think it's the incorrect belief that golf is somehow only for elites that makes people push for them to be demolished and used for new estates.

@Canary Kid - I imagine the courses lost to housing development weren't being used enough or were owned by councils? I can't imagine many member clubs wanting to get rid of their courses?

Not true at all, the majority seem to be proprieatry clubs where the owners are offered a boat load of money for the land by developers.

One near us about to change hands for c. 40m if rumours are to be believed

 

[stefanovic]

I heard some of that on the JV show and my first thought was that there are 2 types of golf course.
One is exclusive where members of the public may be discouraged.
The other is inclusive. I played a course yesterday which has a large 'Welcome To All' sign outside.
To be honest there are some very private courses surrounded by houses near me that could be sold for housing and I'd be happy if they were.

 

[Rlburnside]

I can understand non golfers would think this, all the work and talk about golf being more inclusive still hasn’t done much for the image of golf imo.

I still see mostly white middle/ old golfers at the courses I’ve been to in fact I can’t remember the last time I saw a person other than that.

I used to enjoy playing at Hassocks where my brother Golfmmad was a member but that was sold for housing which I thought was a shame, but there are plenty of other courses within 30 min. drive, so non golfers may have a point.