£7m plans to convert golf course into upmarket holiday retreat approved
Preston City Council has approved £7m plans for an upmarket holiday retreat on a derelict Goosnargh golf course.
Preston-based GHV submitted proposals for the redevelopment of a former nine-hole pay-and-play course on the edge of the Forest of Bowland in January this year.
The application followed an extensive, two-stage public consultation.
Peter Allen, of GHV, said: “This is great news for our local community and I welcome the committee’s approval of our proposals after such careful consideration.
“Our plans enjoyed broad support amongst the community and we worked hard to accommodate the needs and concerns of nearby residents, which was recognised by the committee.”
The plans aim to convert the 64-acre former golf course into a luxury tourism destination offering 130 upmarket lodges, 26 tourer/caravan pitches and 14 office pods, together with a range of leisure facilities for guests, possibly including an indoor heated pool, tennis courts, games room, bar, restaurant and spa.
Figures produced for GHV by consultants Hatch show that local businesses can expect a £1.9m annual boost in visitor spend in the immediate area, with a further £2.3m coming in the form of wages paid to locally recruited staff, more than 100 of whom are expected to work on the site when fully operational.
A further 45 jobs will be created among the local building supply chain during construction, said Mr Allen.
Goosnargh Golf Course was opened as a ‘pay as you go’ facility in 2005 and closed at the start of the pandemic.
The consultants on the project include Frank Whittle Partnership (architects), Miller Goodall (noise and air quality), PWA Planning, Eddisons (traffic engineers) and Allen Archaeology (heritage and archaeology).
