Corhampton Golf Club has applied for planning permission to create four new golf holes on grassland off Shepherds Farm Lane, Coxford, about 1.7km south-west of Corhampton.
The land is currently used for sheep grazing and sits next to the club’s existing course, entirely within the South Downs National Park.
The proposal forms the second phase of a long-standing project first approved back in 1988, and the club says it could not afford to complete the full scheme at the time.
Despite discussions between the club and the South Downs National Park Authority before the application was submitted, the plans have split opinion.
Around 60 objections have been lodged, many focused on traffic, road safety and the amount of soil being brought in.
Local resident Matt Avison said he was not against expanding the course in principle but was “deeply concerned by the scale of landfill importation and associated lorry movements” for what he described as a relatively small improvement.
David Mead warned that Shepherds Farm Lane could become unsafe, with mud, stones and congestion.
Mrs Mead said: “There will undoubtedly be hold-ups, with lorries queuing along the road. I also see massive danger to walkers and cyclists.”
View of the proposed land from the bridleway at the top of Park Lane. Image: Local residents
He also expressed concern over the loss of farmland in an “already shrinking” area, saying: “No farms, no food.”
Karen Rowsell described the proposal as “an industrial-scale landfill operation masquerading as a course improvement project”, arguing it was entirely inappropriate for a National Park location.
Club member Carolyn Scott also submitted an objection, saying she was concerned the plans amounted to “a back-door application for an inert landfill site”.
She said she was “very disappointed” that the club was seeking to expand “at the expense of the surrounding landscape”.
Mrs Scott added that the proposals could see a lorry using Shepherds Farm Lane in each direction every 15 minutes, amounting to an estimated 21,300 loaded trips to the site, with the same number of empty vehicles leaving.
She said the volume of imported soil would raise the 15-hectare site by an average of almost seven feet.
She questioned whether such large-scale soil importation could meet the National Park’s requirement for it to be kept “to an absolute minimum”.
However, the application has also attracted strong support, with more than 70 letters backing the scheme. Supporters say the project would improve the landscape and help secure the club’s future.
John Hanley, who lives nearby, said: “We enjoy the fantastic views in the area and feel golf course expansion would only enhance this landscape, with better water collection and woodland management.”
Steven Griffin, a club member, acknowledged short-term disruption but said the long-term benefits outweighed the impacts, describing Corhampton Golf Club as “a valued sporting asset within both the local community and across the South Downs National Park”.
Another member, Roger Holmes, said the area already benefits his physical and mental health and believes the changes could further improve biodiversity over time.
According to the application club says it has invested heavily in caring for the land over the past 30 years and considers itself an “excellent custodian” of the land.
The golf club currently operates a 18-hole course across approximately 34 hectares and has around 800 members.
In its application, the club argues the field has “minimal conservation value” in its current state and does little to enhance wildlife or landscape character.
It says the new holes have been carefully designed to fit the surroundings and be “sympathetic to the site’s location within the National Park”.
The plans would involve reshaping the land using imported, locally sourced soil to form new tees, fairways and greens.
New drainage features and an irrigation pond are also proposed. In total, around 317,000 cubic metres of soil – about 450,000 tonnes – would be brought onto the site.
During construction, residents could see three to four lorry movements an hour, Monday to Friday between 7am and 5pm. The work could take up to three years to complete.
The scheme also includes changes to existing parts of the course and the creation of new chalk grassland habitats.
Public consultation on the proposal runs until January 28. Residents can submit comments online via the South Downs National Park Authority website.
The application will be decided at a future planning meeting.