A golf club’s expansion plans have been knocked into the rough by angry villagers who feared the works would send more than 42,000 lorries through a narrow road.
Corhampton Golf Club, in the South Downs near Southampton, was denied its application to create four new holes on the course because it would ‘significantly harm the character’ of the area.
The club – whose well-heeled members pay £1,600 a year to play – said it would create a course that was ‘one-third smaller than a typical layout’ despite expanding beyond the typical 18 holes, and that plans were made to address safety concerns.
But families in the neighbouring villages of Corhampton and Droxford hit out at the proposals and the heavy traffic they claimed would ensue.
The local planning committee has now voted unanimously to reject the proposal.
Anger at the scheme started escalating when it emerged the works would take three years and require 42,600 trips by 18-tonne lorries.
It would have meant that four HGVs would pass through the local villages every hour.
Locals said nearby roads are already ‘like the M1’ and having thousands of lorries pass through their village would create a safety issue.
Joanna Selwood, 52, who lives in Droxford, said: ‘My family, as well as many others, will be directly affected by the thundering noise caused by thousands more HGV lorries passing right by our houses on the busy A32 and along the poorly maintained surrounding lanes.
Corhampton Golf Club, in the South Downs near Southampton, has had plans for a course extension, pictured in yellow dotted area, blocked by a planning committee
Joanna Selwood, pictured, who lives in Droxford, claimed the increase in lorries passing through the narrow road would be dangerous for locals
‘They will go off the lanes, so that is a concern. My kids have had near misses all the time down there. We can’t really cope with much more traffic.’
She added that she had recently measured the width of the pavement and claimed it was less than three feet wide.
‘One concern is also the ground is chalk and they are dumping unknown material, plastics, who knows what,’ Ms Selwood said.
‘All the supporters are not in Droxford. They have sent in anonymous support statements. The supporters are people from Fareham, London, Southampton or Hazlemere and they are all the golf club members who will get their fees reduced.’
The planning application gained over 280 comments, with over 190 of them being objections.
A South Downs National Park Authority Planning Committee officer recommended the plans be rejected over a failure to enhance or conserve the landscape, concerns over failure to preserve archaeological assets, and insufficient evidence on the effect the works would have on groundwater.
At the planning committee meeting, Winchester City Councillor Danny Lee objected to the proposals, calling them an ‘industrial scale land reforming exercise,’ which ‘risks undermining authority objectives’.
Penny Stokes, from Swanmore, Hants, also objected to the application and said: ‘Many rural horses will be adversely affected by this scheme. As there is no alternative route, this development would stop us riding out north to the South Downs.
‘We cannot risk putting our lives and our horses’ lives in danger on a small road used by a large number of HGVs.
‘The protected landscape should not be redesigned just to satisfy club members.’
Rob Bailey, speaking on behalf of Corhampton Golf Club, insisted the application is ‘the final stage of a whole course regeneration strategy’.
An overhead view of the planned extension. The club – whose well-heeled members pay £1,600 a year to play – said it would create a course that was ‘one-third smaller than a typical layout’
The planning application gained over 280 comments, with over 190 of them being objections
Alison Crooks, agent for the application, said she was concerned the proposal ‘had not been fully assessed’ and added the Environment Agency had not objected.
She said: ‘Given the lack of statutory objections, we kindly ask members to support this application.’
Committee member John Hyland said: ‘I completely agree with the officer’s conclusion on this site.
‘I have one issue with people talking about this site being okay for a golf course. I do not believe that it is. I think it would significantly harm the character of that area if it were made a golf course’.
