Wirral council has agreed to invest £600,000 on the next stage in plans to build a championship golf links, academy and resort in Hoylake.
A decision was deferred by the council cabinet last month while more information was provided to members, including a presentation from potential operators Celtic Manor.
Now the cabinet has given the go-ahead for the £600,000 to be invested in a series of surveys, geo-technical reports and further commercial and legal recommendations so the proposal can move ahead.
Cllr Phil Davies, Leader of Wirral Council said: “The Hoylake Golf Resort will be a major destination for visitors to Wirral from around the world.
‘We will see a £190m development including a luxury resort and hotel destination together with the country’s only municipal golf course designed by legendary golfer Jack Nicklaus.”
Commenting on the deferral, Cllr Davies said: “We wanted to be satisfied our investment, only 0.3% of the overall development, represented good value for money so we took the extra time available. We are now looking forward to moving ahead to the next stage of this exciting scheme.
“I would like to stress once more, we will consult comprehensively with Wirral residents as the proposals and plans develop.”
In July 2015, Wirral’s cabinet agreed to appoint the joint venture group of legendary golfer Jack Nicklaus as its preferred development partner, and will now be asked to enter into a framework development agreement, to enable the Jack Nicklaus Joint Venture Group to begin drawing up a comprehensive funding strategy, to be presented to the council at a later date.
The plans also include a luxury hotel, conference centre and Links Academy to support Wirral’s ambition to be the Capital of UK Links Golf.
The development will see a new municipal golf course being created largely on Green Belt land, while Hoylake’s existing municipal course will provide the site for the new championship links.
An action group of people opposed to the development because of concerns about the environment, traffic, and the impact on the town of Hoylake has been set up.