HORWICH town councillors are calling for the town’s golf course to be listed as an ‘Asset of Community Value’ (ACV).
If given the status by Bolton Council it would allow the community to bid for the golf course, should it come up for sale.
The borough council would also be allowed to compulsory purchase the site if it wished to. ACVs can also be a material consideration when it comes to planning applications.
The decision to nominate the Horwich golf club site was made at a meeting of the town council.
In July, property developer Northstone unveiled fresh plans for the site. They include up to 150 new homes and “a significant new area of community amenity and parkland space”.
Those proposals follow Bolton council’s decision to refuse an application brought forward by Northstone’s parent company, Peel L&P, to create 276 homes there.
Peel L&P has submitted an appeal in order for that rejected scheme to be considered at a public inquiry. Northstone says the new planning application for the smaller development will run in parallel.
Announcing the new plan, and a local consultation exercise, Jon England, development director at Northstone, said: “We recognise that development of Horwich Golf Club has previously been sensitive amongst the local community, but we are currently drawing up plans which we strongly believe will respond to feedback received in relation to the previous applications.”
Horwich and Blackrod First Independents have called on local people to use the consultation to reject the new proposals.