EAST HORTON NEWS
Planning Applications
Our development plans: your questions answered
East Horton is a valuable local asset and a significant employer which has seen an increase in demand since the pandemic. The quality of the course suffers heavily during wetter periods and this places limitations on member and guest players. We believe we can address these limitations through specific investment and improvements that will increase the long-term commercial sustainability of East Horton. This in turn will secure ongoing employment and local investment. We believe that we can achieve the practical improvements that are deemed necessary whilst improving all aspects of the property from ecological, practical and aesthetic points of view.
Initial planning application, submitted March 2025
East Horton Golf Club, at Fair Oak near Winchester, has submitted an exciting planning application for gameplay improvements to the Driving Range and Greenwood Course.
The initial application – for significant improvements to the 1st and 18th Holes of the Greenwood Course and major changes to the Driving Range – is available for comment on Eastleigh Borough Council’s planning portal until 31 March 2025 (use reference F/25/99007).
If successful, this will eventually be followed by an application for construction of a brand new Driving Range.
This marks the first of an ambitious, multiphase plan to invest in and vastly improve, not just our golf facilities, but the overall offering of East Horton as a club, venue and local facility.
The proposal is motivated by regular feedback from members and guests, that a/ the ground is too wet underfoot and b/ practice facilities are inadequate. Therefore, the emphasis of this application is to significantly improve the overall setting, quality of gameplay and player experience, including Course improvements, drainage improvements and extensive landscape enhancement. We expect to achieve really significant environmental gains through this process through new planting and water quality improvements.
This application is incredibly important to us. In addition to delivering real benefits to Club Members, we expect this to mark the first in a series of exciting enhancements to the entire Golf Course including the remainder of the championship-standard Greenwood Course and the existing Parkland Course.
No plans for residential development
Our members will likely be aware that parts of the Parkland Course were promoted by a developer for residential development through Eastleigh’s Local Plan process, although the proposal was not taken forward. We can confirm at this stage that there are no agreements in place with any developers and the land is not being promoted for development. We hope that approval of this application will unlock future phases of improvements for us including enhancements to the Parkland Course and replacement of the holes closed to enable creation of the new Driving Range, along with further improvements to the Greenwood Course and to the Clubhouse/ Car Park and other facilities on offer.
What are the proposed works?
Phase One – Overview
- Complete redesign of Greenwood Hole 1 – New Tee Box(es); new Fairway; New Hole 1 Green
- Improvements and enlargement of Hole 18 Green complex
- Landscape and setting improvements
- Drainage improvements
- Closure and re-purposing of existing Driving Range
- New practice facility
Phase Two – Overview
- Construction of a brand new Driving Range and associated features such as the building and access points
Phase One – Detail
Relocation of the driving range
The current position of the driving range offers a number of limitations:
- The drainage does not allow year-round ball collecting or installation of target greens.
- There is no room for expansion to either width or length.
- The proximity to the first hole on The Greenwood Course presents a risk to golfers.
- Significant practice ball loss through plugging and balls hit outside of the site boundary.
- The overall setting and quality of the environment is poor.
A state of the art, stand-alone driving range/practice facility will be created in place of the current green on hole 14, and holes 15 and 18 on The Parkland Course.
The size and existing topography of this area will allow us to create a driving range that is competitive with the very best in the area ensuring the current golfer demands are met. Final plans for the driving range are ongoing. We aim to release these in Summer 2025.
First hole, The Greenwood Course
Hole 1 on The Greenwood Course suffers from shading, lack of airflow, ponding and other drainage-related issues. The tees on hole 1 will be repositioned, close to the current putting green, increasing yardage and bringing a new fairway into play down the West side of the stream (current driving range). The new fairway will incorporate significant re-profiling of the ground, creating more playing-interest and greatly improving the drainage.
The green on hole 18, The Greenwood Course
An impressive new green complex with bunkers and enhanced irrigation system on hole 18, on The Greenwood Course will be installed to improve the hole playability, enable a new practice green, improve safety and facilitate expansion of the outdoor seating area.
New practice green
A large practice green will be installed, conveniently located near to the Greenside Bar and in place of the existing ceremony garden.
Area currently used for the driving range
This area will be landscaped to improve overall drainage, soften the topography, allow part of its use as the first hole fairway (The Greenwood Course) and part of its use as further outdoor space to be enjoyed by our members, guests and for functions.
The landscaped planting will be designed to improve the natural environment from ecological, practical, and aesthetic points of view.
New wedding ceremony garden
This area will improve safety for our wedding guests and improve the golfing experience when events are happening.
Removal of holes 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 from The Parkland Course
During Phase 2 The Parkland Course will be reduced to a 13-hole course. We have long-term plans for the area currently used for the holes 16 and 17, which we will announce in due course.
What is the timescale for works?
We would like to begin work in 2025, subject to the planning process. Phase one is a 2-year project which we aim to complete by April 2027. The key stages are:
- 2025/26: tee on hole 1, fairway and green on hole 18, The Greenwood Course. Practice green. Wedding ceremony gardens. Landscaping of the old driving range.
- 2026/27: Installation works for repositioned driving range.
Is the driving range being increased in size?
Yes. Whilst final plans are yet to be published, the new driving range will be a much-improved facility offering more bays, covering a larger area and benefitting from improved technology.
What are the ecological/environmental impacts of the proposed works?
Our surveys and advice to date shows that the ecological impacts of the proposal will all be positive. There are very limited environmental impacts of the proposed works and we will simply avoid and retain any important habitat areas as part of the proposal. At the same time, the proposal includes really extensive planting and habitats in several key areas including:
- the existing Driving Range
- the existing 1st Hole Fairway
- edges of the proposed Driving Range
Overall, we have the opportunity to genuinely contribute to the local environment with new formal planting, woodland, wildlife areas and new habitats. The drainage proposals will also create new wetland habitats and improve water quality running off the land. Overall, we will far exceed the recently-introduced requirement for a 10% Biodiversity Net Gain.
What will be the short/medium/long-term impacts specifically for golf members?
For golf members, there will inevitably be disruptions (from spring 2025 at the earliest). We are working hard to stage the works in such a way that disruption is minimalised.
There will not be any downtime for The Greenwood Course. The temporary first tee and green on hole 18 will be utilised for the shortest period possible. Generally, we expect to be able to keep all holes open including the 1st and 18th for the majority of the works – we can retain the existing fairway whilst the new one is being created.
Practice nets will be installed prior to the closure of the driving range meaning golfers will always have a warm-up space.
At the start of stage 2 (2026/27) The Parkland Course will be reduced to 13 holes.
Beyond this we want to greatly improve The Parkland Course and will be extremely excited to share our plans once finalised.
Will the reduction in facilities be reflected in membership prices?
The prices for golf membership for the 2025/26 and 2026/27 seasons are not yet decided. Please rest assured that we will make sure our prices remain competitive and will continue to offer outstanding value for money for the facilities that are available during that golfing season.
I have an outdoor ceremony booked. Will this be affected?
We truly hope not, and we will alert clients to any possible disruption to their plans at the earliest possible moment. We will offer full refunds to any customers who choose to change their reservation based on any potential disruption to their event.
The closure of the existing ceremony garden and opening of the new garden will be scheduled around our current bookings and we will ensure that work ceases on any days that we have outdoor weddings planning.
