Housing developers Bloor Homes have responded to a letter from residents asking them to open up the site to the public to allow exercise during the COVID-19 outbreak.
The letter, countersigned by a number of households and a local councillor, read: “During the current restrictions imposed to combat the spread of Covid-19 we would like to request that you consider providing the public with access to the golf course. This will offer local residents additional space in which to take their daily exercise while maintaining the government mandated social distancing requirements.”
Cllr Olly Armstrong (Labour, Northfield) said: “This is a great idea, many residents have little or no garden space, and we know walking in parkland is good for our mental health, so opening this space would be hugely positive for our local community currently struggling with lock down. It is also a space in which it would be easy to walk and keep distance form each other.
“Its also a wonderful thing to do at easter; a time that symbolises new life, change, and new ways of doing things,and as the COVID-19 emergency has shown us we need to change the way we work, live and exist together. Opening this green space could be the perfect metaphoric act, and easter the perfect metaphoric time, for this kind of gift from Bloor to the community.”
However, Bloor Homes said that, due to the condition of the site it would not be possible to open it for public use.
A spokesperson said: “Making golf courses and other open spaces available to the public during COVID-19 for a place to exercise is a great idea, unfortunately at North Worcestershire Golf Club this is not possible.
“As demolition work has already begun at the site, the Health & Safety risks to members of the public are too high for it to be considered. With work now underway it is no longer the typical, more manicured grassland of a golf course. There are no designated footpaths, and there are areas that could potentially lead to injury if used without proper assessments and equipment, to include open water and steep embankments.”
The spokesperson hinted that this may be reconsidered in future, saying: “As Bloor Homes is currently only operating a skeleton staff due to Government guidelines, we do not have the capabilities to facilitate any changes to the site for the foreseeable future. If the opportunity arises for us to reconsider this, we will absolutely do so.”
Theres plenty parks round there they never used to walk around it before just wanna be nosey.
Those of us whose gardens back onto the golf course with no separating alleyway, would be at the mercy of hooligans and other anti-social elements who would inevitably take advantage of an unsupervised open space. Unfortunately, not everyone will be inclined to use this space responsibly and an overstretched police force cannot be expected to be on hand to control undesireable elements. Residents living on the border of the golf course will end up suffering the nuisance. There is a public open space which can be accessed from Frankley Beeches Road and the Bristol Road which can be used 24 hours a day and it is not far from the golf course.
As a private golf course the public were not allowed to have access to it, unless playing golf, due to flying golf balls, I personally think opening it up for recreation is a superb idea, providing the restrictions are adhered to, and being nosey to, as I’ve never had access to the course before.