The golf club was sold to developer Cilldara in November 2024
Beeston Fields Golf Club and wedding venue in Beeston, Nottinghamshire, was sold by its founder’s family in 2024(Image: Beeston Fields golf club and wedding venue)
A council has sought to quash concerns over the potential environmental impacts of potential development for hundreds of homes on a Nottinghamshire golf course.
Local residents in Broxtowe and the area’s Member of Parliament have expressed their concerns online over the local council’s decision to not require an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) on the proposed redevelopment of Beeston Fields Golf Course.
The aim of an EIA is to protect the environment, by assessing the potential impacts a development could have on the environment in an area, which a local authority will take into account when deciding whether to grant planning permission to a developer.
EIAs only apply to certain developments – ones that could have a ‘significant’ effect on the area.
Beeston Fields Golf Club and its attached wedding venue, which was founded in 1923, was sold to Warwickshire-based property developer Cilldara Group in November 2024.
While at the time reassurance was given to members the site would still run as it has been, Cilldara has since submitted its preliminary plans to Broxtowe Borough Council to build up to 500 houses, a 60-bed care home, a mobility hub, café and park on the course. But the developer has not formally submitted the outline plans for the scheme yet.
The developer launched a consultation on the plans and Broxtowe Borough Council recently determined on its planning portal that a full EIA is not required for the plans on July 6.
The decision has been met with criticism online over the welfare of wildlife and biodiversity on the site and led to confusion over how, and if, environmental issues will be protected under future plans and whether residents get a say in this.
Broxtowe’s Labour MP, Juliet Campbell, posted on Facebook on July 7 that she ‘shared’ residents’ concerns over the council not requiring an EIA and said she had written to the authority’s chief executive over the decision.
On Thursday (July 9), the council shared it’s latest position on Facebook regarding the plans and concerns, saying there had been “some misunderstanding” online over it’s EIA decision.
Its post read: “Developments of this size naturally attract more views from residents and interested parties. Unfortunately, in this case, there has been some misunderstanding.
“The listing on our website refers to the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and the associated screening processes, which we are legally required to undertake by law. During this process, the Council consults with various national bodies to determine if an EIA is necessary, before making a decision.”
The authority clarified it has to publicise the EIA process on the website but that there is “no requirement” for a public consultation on the EIA decision.
On its decision, the council said: “We have determined that a full EIA is not required. This is primarily because the development is too small and some elements that would be required as part of that assessment would be irrelevant, as they are more suited for larger development schemes.”
It also added its decision does not mean that further “comprehensive” environmental surveys, such as those on ecology, open spaces and trees, will not be needed – these types of surveys are required under national criteria to accompany planning applications.
It continued: “We accept that the wording on our website may have been confusing and are working to improve our processes for future screening stages.”
Councillor Teresa Cullen (Brox Alliance) told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “We recognise the general concern that’s been caused by the consultation on the development on Beeston Fields Golf Club, but it’s the owners of the golf club that want to develop it.
“When they bring it forward to formal planning permission, that’s the point where the council will make a decision whether we think it’s an appropriate development – at this point we don’t know.
“Any planning on a large scale have to do all sorts of assessments to see the effects on biodiversity, roads, school places.”