Southwell Town Council objects to resubmitted Brinkley golf course holiday lodge plans
Objections have been lodged to plans for holiday lodges at a golf course.
The application is for 20 holiday lodges, a reception and associated works including a paved road between the lodges at The Orchards Golf Course, Brinkley.
It is the second time an application for 20 lodges has been submitted by the applicant. The first was rejected in January 2021.
The applicant had previously applied for six lodges on the site, accepted in 2017, which was then increased to 35 lodges, rejected in 2019, and a further application for six lodges which was again accepted in 2020.
A letter submitted on behalf of the applicant said the development was to diversify and support the ‘loss-making’ golf course.
David Martin, chairman of the planning and highways committee at Southwell Town Council, said of viewing the plans: “As far as I am concerned [financial difficulty] is not a material reason to accept a planning application.”
The committee unanimously objected to the modified plans on the same grounds as the previous application and said the design of the lodges was inappropriate for the historic town, and more fitting for a seaside resort.
The application was not considered to conform to the neighbourhood plan, as it is not reliably accessed by sustainable transport or within reasonable walking distance of the town centre. The site’s location, in open countryside, means it is not near any existing tourist amenities. It was considered that while Southwell Racecourse was only 900m away from the site, there was no pedestrian access from that direction and the vehicular access is via Upton Road at the opposite end of the town.
The council also said in its previous opposition that Brinkley had four houses and the lodges would disproportionately increase the population of the area, as well as having a large visual impact.
The district council has the final say on the application.
