{"id":591035,"date":"2026-05-18T18:36:13","date_gmt":"2026-05-18T18:36:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/591035\/"},"modified":"2026-05-18T18:36:13","modified_gmt":"2026-05-18T18:36:13","slug":"golf-club-vows-to-fight-plans-for-up-to-750-homes-its-course","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/591035\/","title":{"rendered":"Golf club vows to fight plans for up to 750 homes its course"},"content":{"rendered":"

Plans for hundreds more homes on a Nottingham<\/a> golf course could spark \u201creal anger\u201d in the community, with club officials claiming the council has \u201cbitten off more than they can chew\u201d over the controversial scheme.<\/p>\n

The chair of Mapperley Golf Club spoke out as Gedling Borough Council\u2019s cabinet is set to decide later this week on its updated \u2018draft\u2019 local development plan.<\/p>\n

This outlines which areas in the borough could be allocated for several thousand new homes between 2028 and 2043.<\/p>\n

Key areas of green space, including parts of the borough\u2019s countryside, have been included, which may see more rural areas developed and smaller villages expanded.<\/p>\n

One particular area of land is Mapperley Golf Club, which could be earmarked for hundreds of new homes in the future.<\/p>\n

– Advertisement –<\/a><\/a><\/p>\n

The authority \u2013 which owns the land \u2013 is pushing forward with plans for the site off Plains Road and Central Avenue to potentially be used for up to 750 houses.<\/p>\n

The 18-hole club has existed for more than 120 years, and its membership has been growing over the last year.<\/p>\n

Paul Cookson, 57, chairman of Mapperley Golf Club,said he is \u201c100 per cent confident\u201d the club will still be there in 10 years.<\/p>\n

He said: \u201cWe\u2019ve been expecting this; however, I think [the council] has bitten off more than they can chew because of the covenant on the land. The problems with the land and its shape are not conducive to a housing estate.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven though it\u2019s in the [council\u2019s] plan, I\u2019m 100 per cent confident the golf club will still be here in 10 years\u2019 time because there are so many legal things to go through to enforce termination of the lease.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mr Cookson says the club is \u201cthriving\u201d, with it being in the \u201cbest condition it\u2019s ever been in\u201d, and said memberships are increasing year on year.<\/p>\n

The club currently boasts nearly 500 members, with around 50 joining in the last year. Non-member footfall also increased by around 20 per cent in 2025 compared with the previous year.<\/p>\n

Mr Cookson continued: \u201cTo remove a well-used community resource like that \u2013 they\u2019ve already done the same with the [Gedling Indoor] bowling club \u2013 they\u2019re just removing all community-based activities.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor 127 years, we\u2019ve managed that land, gifted from different areas in Gedling for the purpose of recreation. They seem to think they have the god-given right to put 750 houses on it without a thought for the community.<\/p>\n

\u201cI intend to fight the good fight and not just roll over.\u201d<\/p>\n

Callum Fern, 32, has been the head professional at the club for around a year and a half. He said the potential plans for the land are \u201cawful\u201d.<\/p>\n

\"MapperleyGolfClubCallumFern\"Callum Fern<\/p>\n

He said: \u201cWhen I came in, a couple of things they wanted from me were to try to increase female and junior participation. We\u2019ve had loads of initiatives to help women and children get into golf.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s awful, really. It already seems very overpopulated in this area. I talk to members who have lived here for a long time\u2026 I hear that it\u2019s a struggle to get into schools and doctors\u2019 surgeries.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not just golfers. We\u2019re trying to be more of a community hub really, a place to come for breakfast, sit in the sun, or have a pint with a family member.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s more than just golf for a lot of people; it supports their physical and mental health, acts as a friendship hub and a community hub. It might be the only time they see people all week.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mr Fern said staff feelings over the vulnerable future of the club have become \u201cmore positive\u201d compared with a year ago, as they have been doing their own research into what is in place to protect the land.<\/p>\n

Anton Robinson was first a member in 2014 for a few years, but rejoined in 2022. He called the club his \u201chappy place\u201d.<\/p>\n

\"MapperleyGolfClubAntonRobinsonAnton Robinson<\/p>\n

He said: \u201cFor a lot of members, it\u2019s their life\u2026 there are a lot of retired members; it\u2019s where they come to meet people and get their exercise. There are people in their 80s playing out there \u2013 if you take that away from them, where do they go?<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s my happy place. I come up here as much as I possibly can\u2026 I\u2019ve made really good friends here, and I still have really good friends here who I play with every week. It\u2019s where I go to feel good and forget about working life or what the council\u2019s doing.<\/p>\n

\"MapperleyGolfClub3<\/p>\n

\u201cIt wouldn\u2019t just be disappointment; there would be real anger that this place had been taken away from us.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can argue it\u2019s a small number of people playing golf, but it\u2019s about the wider community, the wildlife, and the green space. I think it would be an act of vandalism to take this away because it\u2019s not something you can undo.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"MapperleyGolfClub5<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

The golf course was previously threatened by plans to build on it more than a decade ago, with the authority planning to allocate the area for up to 1,900 homes until 2011.<\/p>\n

A 4,000-strong campaign opposing the development followed, and planning officials eventually decided it would be too expensive to build there.<\/p>\n

A council spokesperson said: \u201cThe report in respect of the Consultation on the Publication Draft Gedling Local Development Plan will be considered by Cabinet on 21 May and, if approved by Cabinet and then council, will allow a period of public consultation in respect of all the policies and allocations proposed, including Mapperley Golf Course.<\/p>\n

\"MapperleyGolfClub2<\/p>\n

\u201cThe plan proposes a spatial strategy based on a settlement hierarchy, with the proposed site allocations being in accordance with this. As much housing as is feasible is proposed to be located within and adjoining the main built-up area of Nottingham.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Plans for hundreds more homes on a Nottingham golf course could spark \u201creal anger\u201d in the community, with…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":591036,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[39],"tags":[5904,101,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-591035","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\/591035","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=591035"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/591035\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/591036"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=591035"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=591035"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=591035"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}