Work could begin on building the new Jack Nicklaus Wirral Golf Resort in Hoylake in as little as two years, Wirral’s regeneration chief officer says.
Head of regeneration David Ball set out the potential timescale for the 350-acre Hoylake development in a briefing to the West Wirral Constituency Committee at Hilbre High School in West Kirby.
The plan is to build a new, Jack Nicklaus-designed championship golf course on the site of the current Hoylake municipal course, and create a new municipal course, a hotel, spa, golf academy and private housing, much of it on Green Belt land adjacent to the current course.
Mr Ball said the next step in the process was for the Jack Nicklaus joint venture group to begin detailed technical reports, carrying out ecological and environmental surveys. “This work will take approximately 12 to 14 months to complete, starting around March or April this year,” said Mr Ball.
“After this phase is completed the proposal is to share the finalised proposal from the Jack Nicklaus joint venture group for further consultation with residents before the planning application is submitted.
“Then, probably in 16 to 18 months time, we will be receiving the planning application from the Jack Nicklaus joint venture group, which will then go formally through the planning process.”
Mr Ball said this process would include a further, formal public consultation phase, and that it would take planning officers about three months to assess the application and report back to the planning committee. Councillors would then have to decide whether the project should go ahead.
If the scheme gets the green light from the planning committee, it will still not be the end of the process. Because much of the development is on Green Belt land, Mr Ball said the plan would have to be referred to the environment secretary, as it would be “a departure from the local land use plan”.
Mr Ball estimated that the environment secretary would take about two months to rule on the plan, taking the whole process to two years. If however, he was not happy with the proposals they would have to be formally “called in” for investigation by the government, which could significantly delay the process.
During his briefing Mr Ball also reported on the responses to the informal consultation exercise which took place in Hoylake and West Kirby last November. As we reported recently, of the 660 people who completed consultation forms, just under 30% were against the plan, with 70% either fully supportive or backing the plan with reservations.
Concerns include worries about the environmental impact of the development and the prospect of luxury homes being built on Green Belt land.
Mr Ball said that ecology and wildlife experts from the Merseyside Environmental Advice Service and other wildlife groups would be advising the council on the potential impacts of the development.