Calls To Extend Ifield Golf Club Lease For Centenary Year

Campaigners are calling on Homes England to extend Ifield Golf Club’s lease to allow it to stay open throughout its centenary year.

But the government’s housing and regeneration agency has said that such a move was ‘not feasible’.

Homes England has owned the golf course land since 2020 and leases it to the club. In December it announced that the club would have to leave in April 2027 as preparations are made to build on the site.

Fenella Maitland-Smith, of Save West of Ifield, said there were ‘strong arguments’ for why the ‘eviction’ of the club was coming too early and why the lease should be extended.

She said: “First, Horsham Council keep delaying their decision on the West of Ifield planning application due to the number of major issues that Homes England still need to fix.

“A decision now can’t be made before September this year, suggesting a construction start date of November 2027 at the earliest.

“Second, if [the] council approves the West of Ifield [development] there is likely to be legal challenge via a judicial review. This could add months to the process.

“Third, it could take years for Thames Water to upgrade Crawley sewage works to provide the capacity for the West of Ifield and other development around Crawley.”

Ms Maitland-Smith said that, given the uncertainty and delays associated with the application, there seemed to be ‘no justifiable course of action’ but to extend the lease.

Homes England did not share that view.

Information provided by the organisation said that, subject to planning permission, the intention was to go ahead with things such as archaeological trial trenching, ecological mitigation works and demolition, once the golf club had left the site.

The information added: “These works will take place on the golf course and therefore it is not feasible to extend their notice period.

“These enabling works are necessary to take place as soon as practicably possible, prior to construction of the primary road and bus gate from Rusper Road. It is therefore not feasible for golfing activity to continue when construction activities are taking place on site.

“Homes England has been clear throughout our engagement over the last six years that closure of Ifield Golf Course would be necessary to deliver essential local infrastructure.

“Serving notice gave Ifield Golf Club and its members the time needed to plan for the future."