Housing plan for Mid Kent Golf Club
Published: 12:30, 14 December 2017
A popular golf club is considering selling land to developers.
Mid Kent Golf Club, Singlewell Road, Gravesend, held a meeting for members on Tuesday, December 12, to discuss the idea of releasing the land, which runs adjacent to Wrotham Road, Harman Avenue and Chalky Bank, to property developers.
A spokesman for the club confirmed one of the options under consideration was to sell the 88-acre plot to the builders, who inquired about its availability, and in return they will build a new golf course for the club to move to, somewhere on green belt land in the borough.
However, there are other options on the table.
Steve Armstrong, general manager for Mid Kent Golf Club, said on Wednesday, December 13: “We’ve got problems with the clubhouse roof.
“One option is to stay exactly where we are and repair it.
“Another option is to apply for a new clubhouse on the same site.”
The third option is to move.
He added: “We had been approached by one of the big property developers, but through an agent we’ve been told there are two other developers who would be interested in developing the site.”
The idea is still in the early stages and if the building plan went ahead, it is not known how many homes would be built.
There club has 860 members, and Mr Armstrong said all were notified of the meeting. About 200 turned up.
He said: “They just soaked the information up. I can’t really say more than that.
“Everyone was invited but if they didn’t attend, they didn’t attend.”
He said it was now up to the members to decide, and the club would take it from there.
Mid Kent Golf Club consists of a clubhouse, 18-hole course and a driving range.
Cllr Anthony Pritchard (Con), cabinet member for housing at Gravesham council, said: “There is a certain part of me that is quite alarmed that someone is proposing to build all over a great green area of Gravesham.
“I think Conservative councillors are committed to protecting the inappropriate development on green belt land.
“I’m not necessarily sure that the number of houses you could get on a golf course could be deemed appropriate.”
Cllr Michael Wenban (Con) is one of the ward councillors for Woodland, alongside Cllr Pritchard. He said: “All our green spaces are precious and with so many empty sites in the town, I am totally against any building on any green space.
“If any proposed plans mean that there would be a big increase in traffic on the Wrotham Road, it would unacceptable.”
What do you think? Email gravesendmessenger@thekmgroup.co.uk or write to The Messenger, 7 High Street, Gravesend, Kent, DA11 0BQ.
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Daniel Green