Eleanor LawsonWest Midlands
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The former Brandon Wood Golf Course could be transformed into a nature reserve which would become the largest in the West Midlands
An abandoned former golf course which costs around £70,000 a year to maintain could become home to the largest nature reserve in the West Midlands.
Brandon Wood Golf Course closed to the public in 2020 and Coventry City Council is now discussing plans to turn it into a 64-hectare nature reserve, 6km away from Coventry city centre.
The reserve would link with surrounding land to create over 350 hectares of land dedicated to preserving wildlife, with the potential to support ospreys, otters and beavers.
Plans will be discussed at  cabinet on 6 January and will go to full council the following week. If councillors agree, the scheme could begin in 2026.
Approval of the plans would see the golf course’s fairways, greens and bunkers replaced with wetland, grassland, ponds, hedgerows and shrubs, which would be created and maintained by experts from the Warwickshire Wildlife Trust.
This would include introducing a herd of cattle on the site for natural grazing.
A number of options had previously been considered, including a hotel, glamping site, solar farm, and gravel extraction.
However, none were considered financially or environmentally suitable, and the area is also prone to flooding.
One in six species currently at risk of extinction
Getty Images
Warwickshire Wildlife Trust says the proposed site could become home to ospreys which are on the UK Amber List
Councillor Jim O’Boyle said: “This is a unique opportunity to create something very special, not just for the city and the region, but for the country’s wildlife.
“We know the UK is one of the most nature depleted nations in the world, with one in six species at risk of extinction, and everyone has to take action.
“We made a commitment in the council’s Climate Change Strategy to do all we can to support nature recovery - and this site presents a significant opportunity to do that at a scale rarely seen.”
The council would need to obtain planning permission for the change of use from Rugby Borough Council and would then work with Warwickshire County Council and other partners to develop the site.
That includes Warwickshire Wildlife Trust, which manages land around the golf course and has its headquarters at the neighbouring Brandon Marsh Nature Reserve.
Mr O’Byle said there was also the possibility of building an outdoor education centre on the site of the old clubhouse.
Plan will be financed by property developers
Ben Andrew/RSPB/PA Media
The site would be ideal for bitterns, a species of bird declared extinct in the UK in the late 1800s as a result of persecution and habitat loss
Councillors are to discuss a plan for a phased development, with the financial cost supported through income generated from property developers who are required to improve natural habitats as party of any project.
Ed Green, CEO of Warwickshire Wildlife Trust, said, “Bringing the former golf course into management for wildlife joins up several sites across the wider Brandon area and creates the scale needed to support several key species.
“People in the future can expect to see ospreys, bitterns and perhaps even beavers one day, just a few minutes from Coventry city centre.”
If the council fails to take action, the land would continue to cost around £70,000 a year to maintain, along with a continued risk of the site being used for fly-tipping and anti-social behaviour.