Response: Golf Course Consultation Query
MEDIA RELEASE
January 222014
Response: golf course consultation query
Councillor Steve Claymore, Cabinet Member for Economic Development, said:
“As part of the process of exploring the different options for Tamworth Golf Course, we have sought the views of customers, local residents, and groups such as Sport England and England Golf. These views are included in the report which is due for discussion on Thursday January 23rd.
Part of the project to look at the future of the course included in-depth, independently facilitated focus groups and meetings with golf course customers and residents.
The decision to use focus groups was taken in order to generate more meaningful consultation and to get more detailed opinions and views from residents and customers. The focus groups did include a number ofresidents who lived in Amington and others close to the course.
Focus groups were undertaken both for the 12 options and also when these were shortlisted to four. This type of consultation is considered ideal for issues which includes a number of complicated factors, which cannot be addressed through a questionnaire or onlinesurvey. It is used widely and well regarded.
As a council, we are under no illusions that golf course members and residents have concerns about the options under discussion.
The Council has always been very open about the golf course and the factthatwe would be looking at future options, following our decision to run it in-house for uptotwo years until March 2015. We did a lot of work to ensure thatpeople knew about what was going on at the course.
For example:In February last year the Council issued a statement that the course had ceased trading.
In March 2013, the Council announced the Cabinet would be looking at four options for the future of the golf course, including different management options in-house management, closure or using an external company.
In late March 2013, we announced we would re-open the course under Tamworth Borough Council for a period of two years while we considered the long-term future of the course. This was followed up with information about introductory offers and summer membership deals.
Further to this, in May last year we announced the long list of 12 options for the future of the course. After these were looked at in-depth, with the help of an independent company, we published the shortlist of four options in October. These options are due to be discussed by Cabinet on Thursday evening.
All of these decisions and announcementsreceived considerablepresscoveragevia the Tamworth Herald, our blog – where we received hundreds of comments about our plans – and our website, along with other social media.
There have also been three Cabinet meetings and two Aspire and Prosper scrutiny meetings, which were all open to the public and agendas made available via our website.
The options under discussion are:
- Retention of an 18-hole golf course, remodelling and disposal of part of the site
- Complete disposal of site, with any income generated to contribute to wider strategic aims, including leisure provision and town centre regeneration schemes
- Retention of 18-hole golf course, plus development of clubhouse, gym and other leisure facilities, with course to be run and managed by an outside company
- Retention of nine holes, development of clubhouse, gym and other leisure facilities, again to be run by an external company or in house, and the disposal of nine holes for development
The meeting will take place in Committee Room 1, Marmion Houseon Thursday January 23. The meeting, which is open to the public, starts at 6pm.
Contact Natalie Missenden: on 01827 709572 or by email
Jane Eason: 01827 709571 or email