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Birmingham Post
Birmingham Post
Business
Jon Robinson

Councillors vote down £200m 'Ryder Cup' golf course plans

Plans to build a £200m golf course in Bolton which could host the Ryder Cup in 2031 have been rejected.

Peel L&P's proposals were voted down by Bolton Council's planning committee after being recommended for approval last month.

The revised scheme included the redevelopment of a 800-acre site at Hulton Park which could have created 1,000 jobs.

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The proposals, which included more than 1,000 homes, a primary school, a hotel and conference centre, were a refreshed vision of the ones that were approved by the government in 2020.

Since then, Peel L&P had revisited them to incorporate a number of changes as a result of community feedback, in particular making the scheme more 'sustainable, inclusive and accessible' as well as delivering more new community facilities for local people.

However the plans have not been without controversy after receiving hundreds of complaints from local residents.

The committee meeting today (Thursday, February 24) was told that any planning permission for the whole development would be dependent on Bolton winning the right to host the Ryder Cup, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

If it had been backed, the venue would have been up against the London Club in Kent to be the one chosen in April for England's bid to host the Ryder Cup in 2031.

The host for the biennial match between Europe and the US is set to be announced in July.

Speaking ahead of the meeting Richard Knight, Peel L&P’s director of planning and strategy, said: "We are very pleased to see that some important organisations in Bolton, Greater Manchester and in the wider North West are seeing the transformational potential these plans offer Bolton and the regional economy.

"It’s now a very real and exciting prospect that the Ryder Cup will come to Bolton and approval of the proposals bring Bolton a big step closer towards delivering one of the world’s premier sporting events and more importantly delivering an incredible legacy for future generations.

"In partnership with members of the community and at the request of project partners including the council, we have improved the original plans – which both the council and secretary of state have already approved– to deliver a better scheme, with multiple community facilities, such as a school, health and wellbeing hub, allotments, a village hall and a new link road to improve local transport.

"It would be the first time the park has been opened up to the public in its 700-year history and the park would be greatly enhanced under the proposals with over 15km of new and improved footpaths, cycleways and nature trails, plus a range of new community facilities.

"Doing nothing is not an option. Bolton needs to continue backing the bid to realise all these benefits."

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