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<\/p>\nA village community group is “bewildered” at plans for a League One football club to build a new training facility on a golf course.<\/p>\n
Wycombe Wanderers recently agreed a long-term lease of South Buckinghamshire Golf Course and Farnham Park Playing Fields from Buckinghamshire Council.<\/p>\n
The club intends to reduce the 18-hole golf course to nine or 12 holes and build a training base on the northern section.<\/p>\n
The wider vision for the site was to create a “modern, multi-sport hub with inclusive facilities”, but the Stoke Poges Task Force believed the proposal would make the site less attractive.<\/p>\n
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The golf clubhouse could also be refurbished and a golf academy was being considered [Buckinghamshire Council]<\/p>\n
The group also warned that Farnham Park was designated as high-quality green belt land and owned by a charity to preserve it for public use – making private academies or commercial development potentially unlawful.<\/p>\n
The move would enable Wycombe Wanderers to create a training space for its academy players alongside the senior squad. Currently their training sites are 40 minutes apart.<\/p>\n
In newly released plans, the club said reducing the size of the golf course would make the site more flexible and appeal to a wider audience “including young people, families and casual golfers”.<\/p>\n
It is employing a team led by an ex-professional golfer “with approximately 40 years’ experience in owning and operating golf clubs and facilities”.<\/p>\n
A golf academy and driving range were also being considered, as well as upgrading existing training facilities on the Farnham Park playing fields.<\/p>\n
All proposals remained subject to further consultation and planning permission.<\/p>\n
‘Precedent’ threat to green belt<\/p>\n
The football club said the project would take place over several years, with consultation promised for local residents.<\/p>\n
It stressed that the vision was to “significantly increase opportunities for people of all ages and backgrounds to be active”.<\/p>\n
Wycombe Wanderers said it was committed to working with existing users of the playing fields and golf course and it had already met with a number of local organisations this summer.<\/p>\n
However, Stoke Poges Task Force said the announcement wrongly implied that meaningful talks with the community had taken place.<\/p>\n
It argued that consent had not been established for the project’s direction, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.<\/a><\/p>\n The task force questioned the benefits of a smaller nine or 12-hole course – and argued there was little evidence of demand for such a model.<\/p>\n A spokesperson said: “This is not just a Stoke Poges issue. Far from it.<\/p>\n “If development of this green belt land is allowed to proceed, it sets a precedent that threatens the protection of our green belt across Buckinghamshire and beyond.”<\/p>\n Follow Beds, Herts and Bucks news on BBC Sounds<\/a>, Facebook<\/a>, Instagram<\/a> and X<\/a>.<\/p>\n More stories of interestRelated internet links