Having just written about a spectrum of challenging situations facing this group of golf clubs, we didn’t necessarily anticipate that there would be even more tales of this nature, especially this soon, but that is what is happening inside one of England’s most historic golfing counties.
When you think of Surrey, golfers will picture the likes of St George’s Hill, Walton Heath, Hankley Common and Wentworth, but there are two alternative layouts that are being threatened by the most recurringly existential issue facing golf courses, which is the encroaching dark cloud of property development.
Barratt Homes has confirmed to SurreyLive that it’s currently exploring moves to put together a planning proposal for the council that would see properties built across the land occupied by the 18-hole Surrey National golf course.
The council is reviewing whether plans to build housing on the golf course would be realistic as part of its Local Plan, with government targets demanding that 12,300 homes should be built during the next 15 years in the Tandridge area.
A spokesperson for the developers told SurreyLive: “We have an agreement with Surrey National Golf Club to promote land at the club for potential development with Tandridge Council through their local plan process.
“We are currently exploring the preparation of a planning application which if successful would deliver much needed new homes in Surrey. We will share further updates in due course.”
(Surrey National Golf Club)
While a planning application has yet to be submitted, meaning that development could be some time away, the club itself (which opened for play in 1999) has communicated the present situation to members, with an agreement being made with the developers for the course to be promoted for potential use.
Part of the letter, which was shared online, states: “We cannot comment on the likelihood of planning consent being granted, but it is important to note that, even if a consent were to be granted, it would be a number of years before any development would commence – so golf will continue to be played for the foreseeable future.”
Elsewhere in the county, Taylor Wimpey has expressed interest in building up to 300 homes on Chipstead Golf Club, with pre-planning application documents being submitted to the council in late July.
(Chipstead Golf Club)
Firmly in the heart of the village, this family-owned course dates back to 1906 and is an integral part of the community, which is a status evidenced by the loud opposition that has already been expressed against these plans.
SurreyLive has reported that “the submission has since been met with nearly 150 comments from residents, of which just three are in support of the development.”
Given that the developers are yet to submit a formal planning application, this is once more a long way from being confirmed and there would be considerable public consultations to come with there being significant concerns regarding traffic and the impact on precious green space.
Ultimately, whether the proposals for either Surrey National or Chipstead progress further remains to be seen, and the potential closures could yet be years away, it’s nonetheless a concern and a reminder of just how stark a danger that property development can be to courses that have been part of their communities for generations.