Several locals express opposition to development of golf course

Plans to downsize a golf course from 18 holes to nine so that a £45 million project, including an adventure park and holiday homes, can go ahead, have met some local opposition.

Blackpool UKAP (Blackpool) Holdings has set out the plans for Stanley Park Golf Course, which is located in Blackpool Park Golf Club. They include building a 70,000 square feet ‘Family Active Entertainment Centre’ with indoor and outdoor adventure activities, plus 150 holiday lodges and open public green space.

However, proposals for the project began before the pandemic started and since then the golf course has seen a surge in participation.

A ‘packed public meeting’ held at Blackpool Park’s clubhouse was told the course had shown a profit for April 2021 to April 2022 with annual receipts of between £250,000 and £300,000.

Some local residents are also opposed to the development due to environmental concerns and the perceived loss of open space.

The meeting was told that 10,000 flyers would be distributed around the town urging people to support a campaign to oppose the development. The meeting was told the lease on the clubhouse was due to expire in early 2023, giving developers a stronger foothold on the site.

Tom Barlow, chairman of Blackpool Open Green Spaces, which had called the meeting, said this meant it was vital to escalate the fight against the scheme, which has the backing of the Labour-run council.

He told the meeting: “We need to take our campaign directly to the people of Blackpool which is why we have had 10,000 flyers printed and we will start by delivering them to 3,000 homes around Stanley Park.

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“Then we need to think about public protests, perhaps outside the town hall and get the community involved. There are local elections in May 2023 and will be canvassing all those seeking elections. Our aim is to make this an issue they cannot ignore if they want to get elected in 2023.

After the meeting, Barlow said: “The depth of feeling is because there are several issues here – the environmental issues and the loss of open space in a town which has such a small amount of green space left. They are real issues that people really care about and that’s why there were so many people here.”