{"id":45635,"date":"2025-08-05T13:32:08","date_gmt":"2025-08-05T13:32:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/45635\/"},"modified":"2025-08-05T13:32:08","modified_gmt":"2025-08-05T13:32:08","slug":"athletics-club-calls-for-support-against-golf-course-plans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/45635\/","title":{"rendered":"Athletics Club calls for support against golf course plans"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n As previously reported,\u00a0Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council<\/a>\u2019s (BDBC) Cabinet approved a proposal to relocate golf facilities from the Basingstoke Golf Centre to Down Grange Sports Complex, following the planned development of a regional water park and hotel by Great Wolf Resorts on the current golf centre site.\n<\/p>\n

\n With discussions surrounding the development underway, several concerns have been raised by\u00a0Basingstoke and Mid Hants Athletics Club (BMHAC), which argues that parts of\u00a0Down Grange may be left “unsafe” if development were to proceed.\n<\/p>\n

\n Leigh Henderson, chair of BMHAC, is calling on users of the facilities at Down Grange to help build a case to put to the council.\n<\/p>\n

\n The new pitch at Basingstoke Hockey Club (Image: Basingstoke Hockey Club)\n<\/p>\n

\n He said: “Basingstoke and Mid Hants Athletic Club remains very concerned about the Borough Council\u2019s proposals to move its golfing facilities to Down Grange. We are looking for stories on how its members and others use the space.\n<\/p>\n

\n “As indicated in our statement in May 2025, we are working with other sports clubs, groups and members of the public that use Down Grange to compile an impact assessment of the proposals.\n<\/p>\n

\n “The groups coming together with BMHAC to oppose the current proposals include hockey, rugby, disc golf, health walking group, residents, wildlife campaigners, many dog walkers and people who independently regularly use Down Grange for maintaining their health and wellbeing.”\n<\/p>\n

\n Down Grange is currently home to at least six\u00a0sports clubs, with athletics, hockey, disc golf, and rugby holding several major competitions each year. The current facilities make it an important and highly desirable venue for County and National competitions. Leigh argued that “this will be severely compromised with the proposed access and parking proposed.”\n<\/p>\n

\n He continued to state the concerns of BMHAC: “The loss of the only parkland area of Down Grange to a dual-use status with pitch and putt golf mixed with walkers, dog walkers, disc golfers and training athletes. We remain to be convinced that this will work safely to the satisfaction of all users.\n<\/p>\n

\n “Our need for space is increasing with 150 youngsters under 11 on our waiting list, in addition to our rising active membership, which has reached 850. Reduced space for our essential off-track training activities, which comprise the majority of training time for endurance athletes.\n<\/p>\n

\n “Many senior road runners may leave if safe off-road summer training is unavailable [and] significantly increased traffic flows, which will need to be ameliorated with major road works to enable safe access to increased car parking. Existing arrangements are already very unsafe at peak times.”\n<\/p>\n

\n Due to these concerns, the club is inviting anyone who uses Down Grange to get in touch with it to share stories about the importance of the facility as it stands, including those who play and watch sports, observe nature and those who walk their dogs in the area.\n<\/p>\n

\n Leigh said: “The aim is to attach these stories to our joint impact assessment that will be submitted to Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council.\n<\/p>\n

\n “We believe that these individual stories will carry as much weight as the evidence submitted by the sports clubs that use Down Grange and the area surrounding it.\n<\/p>\n

\n “We would really welcome stories from any Down Grange users, no matter whether they are associated with the sports clubs or just use it for leisure. The stories could include: how long have people used Down Grange? What for? What do they enjoy most about Down Grange Park and why is it important to them, personally? These stories should be sent to clubsecbmhac@gmail.com. We will share with our colleague clubs as we compile our evidence.”\n<\/p>\n

\n While discussions on the project continue, BDBC insists it is “championing” local sports, and is listening to feedback regarding the golf course in order to “fully understand” impacts and improvements that can be made to proposals.\n<\/p>\n

\n Cabinet Member for Sports, Leisure and Culture, Cllr Kerry Morrow, said: \u201cDesign work to shape our plans for a pitch and putt course near Down Grange House, as well as space for golf pods and adventure golf facilities located around the existing sports facilities, is progressing to inform proposals for the site.\n<\/p>\n

\n \u201cWe recognise that this is a complex and sensitive proposal. That is why it is so important to carefully consider the views of the community, opportunities to protect and enhance biodiversity and the need to continue providing an accessible golf course for players of all abilities to practice their skills.”\n<\/p>\n

\n Cllr Morrow continued:\u00a0\u201cAs the portfolio holder for sports, I am committed to supporting and championing sports clubs across the borough.\n<\/p>\n

\n “As part of this, I am carefully balancing England Golf\u2019s guidance on the value of local accessible, grassroots golf facilities as well as listening to the voices of sports clubs and other users of Down Grange to fully understand any impact and improvement opportunities as part of our emerging proposals.\n<\/p>\n

\n \u201cWe are continuing to meet with clubs and use their feedback to shape our ongoing design work and we will be asking the community to feedback and shape our proposals in September, before a planning application could be submitted.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As previously reported,\u00a0Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council\u2019s (BDBC) Cabinet approved a proposal to relocate golf facilities from the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":45636,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[39],"tags":[5904,101,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-45635","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-golf","tag-golf","tag-sports","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45635","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45635"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45635\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/45636"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45635"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45635"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45635"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}