Kent golf club could be converted into chalets

A links golf club in Kent could be closed down and converted into a lakeside holiday destination to help an adjacent hotel meet more demand for rooms.

Hythe Golf Club is owned by its members but it is located within the grounds of Hythe Imperial Hotel, which has been owned by GSE Group since 2007.

GSE Group says the golf club, bordered by the Royal Military Canal and the English Channel, is “no longer maximising its potential for the local tourism industry or the community” and that the existing hotel is operating at “very close to full capacity”, so additional accommodation will help with demand for rooms.

Image from Twitter / X

Plans include the creation of a collection of two- and three-storey chalets, a children’s play park and a boating lake.

New roads and public walkways are also believed to be planned as part of the development.

The company says the new development will “revitalise the seafront” and secure the “future of the hotel”, by creating “an innovative, sustainable scheme that provides a unique offering for visitors.”

The destination will be known as Imperial Lakes and Gardens.

How the new development could look. Image from Facebook

A GSE spokesperson commented: “Tourism is responsible for almost 20 percent of jobs in Folkestone and Hythe, and our vision for the site will be to explore how we can enhance and diversify the offerings available at the hotel.

“We believe that an offering in this location will be unlike any other in Kent, providing unique accommodation for visitors alongside a variety of leisure and commercial offerings accessible to the community all year round.”