Several Scottish golf clubs applying to build houses by their courses

A number of golf clubs in Scotland are hoping to build properties on land they own in a bid to secure their futures.

The news comes as two historic golf clubs in Scotland, Camperdown and Mount Ellen, have either closed down or announced they will close down. In addition, this year the 126-year-old Eastwood Golf Club on the outskirts of Glasgow also closed down, and so did Brunston Castle in Ayrshire, while Carrick Knowe in Edinburgh closed at the end of last year.

Plans to build 76 new homes on Ballumbie Castle Golf Course in Dundee have been approved by councillors.

The club has stated it will reconfigure the course’s layout so it retains 18 holes.

Kingsknowe Golf Club in Edinburgh has applied to develop surplus disused land.

‘The homes will be designed to achieve the Greener Standard of Sustainability and will be funded through a mixture of private finance and Scottish Government grant funding via the City of Edinburgh Council,’ said a spokesman.

‘The proposed development will be a mixture of mid-market properties, targeted at households on low to moderate incomes, and social rented properties. It is hoped that work will begin on-site by spring 2020.’

Williamwood Golf Club in Glasgow is seeking permission for a residential flatted development of 14 properties to generate ‘much-needed revenue’.

The application is accompanied by a report that highlights some of the difficulties currently faced by the golf club and indicates that without interventions and changes the club ‘may become unsustainable’.

The site of the proposed residential development is part of the grounds of the golf club, but is currently unused and is not part of the course. The report emphasises that the development ‘does not in any way compromise the integrity or quality of the golf course’.

It goes on to say that the development would generate much-needed funds, which could be used to make improvements to the course and golf club, benefiting existing members and hopefully attracting new members, helping ensure the club is sustainable over the longer term.

The golf club has suffered a drop in income, with membership falling consistently for 10 years.

And Bearsden Golf Club in East Dunbartonshire is appealing to residents to support 
a proposal to build 65 homes – after selling its land to a developer.

Doreen Adams, club captain, said: “Our club members are an active part of the community and we consulted extensively before making the decision to sell land to fund an upgraded nine-hole course.

“I would stress this land is already designated for new homes and Robertson Homes was the preferred bidder as it’s a family-owned company and its attitude to housing design and environmental issues was most attuned with our own. We have invested significant amounts of time and money to get the best possible outcomes, including incorporating local flooding improvements into the plan, upgrading facilities for coaching kids and funding a clean up of a stretch of the Antonine Wall which crosses part of the proposed new course.”

She added that without the funding and upgrade, “the future of the club and of the greenbelt land it occupies 
become highly uncertain”.