Objection from Sport England
The Elizabeth Quarter Golf Needs Assessment, made on behalf of
CALA Homes, looked at whether Maidenhead Golf Course was ‘surplus to requirements’ for golfing in the area.
This report considers the golf courses within a 30-minute drive as alternatives to MGC.
This includes 60 courses of different sizes and 26 driving ranges.
The report found the ratio of holes per 1,000 people on standard golf courses is greater in Windsor and Maidenhead in comparison to the South East and England.
However, there are fewer pay and play courses in comparison to the South East. This is ‘likely due to the high number of members’ clubs in the region’.
Overall, report writers Stantec said the data showed that loss of the facilities at MGC is ‘able to be absorbed by the surrounding golf courses’.
However, Sport England, in consultation with England Golf, stated last month: “We do not feel this is robust enough to provide a case for the course being surplus to requirements.”
They said the catchment area of a 30-minute driving time is ‘too large’ as a ‘large majority’ of golfers only travel up to 20 minutes.
They also felt that more data was
needed on prices and other matters, as many clubs have ‘very high membership fees making them inaccessible to the vast majority of the general public.’
Investigations of their own demonstrated that clubs within the 20-minute catchment were ‘significantly above average’ in terms of membership versus capacity.
Sport England said it needed a revised needs assessment to show the true supply and demand picture – and ‘cannot carry out a full assessment’ of the CALA Homes scheme without this.
As such, Sport England has submitted a holding objection to the application.
The body says it does not accord with its planning policies, nor national ones.