Midlands golf club to be converted into a housing estate

A Warwickshire golf course is to be closed down and converted into 300 homes – just a few weeks after its council rejected an identical proposal.

Last autumn we reported on Plough Hill LLP, which had hoped to demolish Plough Hill Golf Centre and build 300 new homes in its place. However, Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council rejected the proposal.

Council rejects proposal to convert entire golf course into housing estate

The council’s planning committee has now removed its reasons for refusal and formally approved a new application by the same developer.

Planning committee member Dan Gissane told the Coventry Telegraph: “There was a threat of costs which is fair enough, we don’t want to waste people’s money, but it feels like they’ve caved in without getting the compromises.”

The developer had appealed the decision and then submitted a new planning application for houses on the same site with “additional information to address the reasons that the last application was refused for.”

It had been turned down against the recommendation of council officers in November, amid concerns of overpopulation and lack of infrastructure, especially roads and schools.

Planning committee chairman Bill Hancox admitted that the likelihood of losing an appeal was a factor in approving the application.

He said the reasons for refusal on the last application were removed after the county council would not support it.

“The refusal was based on highways, they removed their objections and said they couldn’t support it at appeal,” he said.

“Like any application we have to be aware of possible consequences if we refuse something against planning officers’ recommendations.

“That can really be a substantial cost to the council.

“If we are going to refuse it we have to have proper planning reasons to do it and we didn’t have them before and we didn’t this time.

“It’s got to be evidence based because otherwise we are going to be hammered at appeal.”

A review of the golf course on yelp says: ‘The facilities could be improved. Plough Hill has got good catering services available which keeps the place running. You can borrow any golf clubs which are available but the golf clubs look about 10 years old. Due to theft of golf balls at Plough Hill Golf Centre the public are not allowed to take golf bags. The quality of the balls could be better. There is private teaching available for a reasonable price. All in all not a bad placed to play golf but could be improved.’