Save Rookwood Golf Course
Rookwood Golf Course is Horsham District’s only local authority owned pay-as-you-play golf course and comprises an 18 hole course plus a par 3 (pitch & put) course. Access to the golf course is included in HDC’s Leisure Access Card Scheme, which helps residents on low income and full-time students access culture & sports / leisure venues.
Rookwood Golf Course is Popular!
Rookwood Golf Course continues to be a very well used community facility, as usage figures from 2015 to date show.
Approx. range from 30,000 to 37,000 rounds per year with an average of over 34,000 rounds per year over the 5 years to 2019.
And, even with Covid lockdown closures of 14 weeks, 2020 will exceed this average, and may well approach 40,000 rounds due to recent massively increased demand.
Many Golfing Groups & Societies use Rookwood
Unlike private golf courses, it is not necessary to be a member to play, although season tickets are available for regular players. There are a number of groups & societies that play regularly at Rookwood. These include the Rookwood Seniors.
Rookwood Seniors Golf Society is a thriving group that was founded in 1997. The number of members fluctuates from year to year and we have enjoyed a membership of as many as 40 players. The ages range from mid 50's to over 80. The majority of our members are 5 day season ticket holders, and we have reserved tee times every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
We hold two competitions every month, as well as a number of individual and pairs knockout cup competitions during the summer and winter. We also play “friendly” matches against a number of clubs in Sussex and Surrey, both home and away.
The camaraderie that has built up within the society and between Seniors of other clubs is a vitally important aspect of the social side of our golf, whilst the game is good for our health and wellbeing.
We provide significant support to Rookwood through patronising the “Halfway Hut” during our rounds and The Warnham Barn after golf and for meals on inter-club match days and other occasions during the year
Rookwood Golf Course is Viable!
Rookwood is leased by Horsham District Council to 3rd party operators. As reported in the 2011 Leisure Futures Study, “the Council obtains significant financial benefit from its golf course at Rookwood and should retain it and seek reinvestment to enhance the viability of the site”. In the 4 years ending 31st March 2021, Rookwood will have contributed over £180,000 in net revenue to the council’s coffers. It is not a drain on council revenue, it is a net contributor.
Golf in Horsham District
In recent years a number of golf courses in the district (& surrounding areas) have closed. At the same time, the population of the district is rapidly growing, especially in and around Horsham town. Golf provision was last assessed in the Sports, Open Space & Recreation Assessment 2014 (with a 2012 base). Since then it has been established:
Provision has reduced by 13% (based on the number of golf holes), or by 22% if Ifield Golf Course is redeveloped following its purchase by Homes England.
The population of Horsham district will have increased by an estimated 11.5% in the 10 years since the 2011 census.
Provision per resident will therefore have been reduced by one quarter, or by one third if/when, as expected, the Ifield course is closed.
This is a highly significant reduction in provision, further exacerbated by numerous out-of-district ‘nearby’ courses already having closed.
HDC’s Sport and Physical Activity Strategy 2016 -2031, adopted in 2016, has an overall aim:
‘To increase participation in sport and physical activity and improve the health and wellbeing of people living, working or visiting the Horsham District’
With the following 5 work strands:
Encouraging and supporting people to become more active – providing opportunities so that people who don’t currently participate are encouraged to do so and so that people who already take part are encouraged to take part more often.
Ensuring sufficient and appropriate sporting infrastructure – sporting infrastructure needs to keep pace with the needs of a growing and changing population and it is imperative to provide the right facilities, of the right quality in the right place.
Developing effective sporting and physical activity pathways – encouraging and enabling people to stay involved in sport and physical activity and to achieve the performance standard that they aim for.
Widening access to sport and physical activity – ensuring that people who may find it difficult to take part as a result of disability or personal circumstances have increased opportunities to do so.
Strengthening organisations and partnerships – increase the number and quality of volunteers, coaches and clubs and deliver new projects through joint investment with other public and private sector partners.
The report notes:
The most popular sports for adults in Horsham district are swimming, cycling, fitness and conditioning, exercise classes, football, gymnastics and golf.
Specific actions for Rookwood were noted as:
New contract in place for Rookwood Golf Course by 2019.
Two ‘non traditional’ new sports and physical activities piloted and reviewed by 2017. eg. foot golf, disc golf.
Golf is clearly part of the council’s strategy to meet its declared mission, eloquently expressed by HDC as:
“The council has long valued the important role that sport and physical activity play in preventing ill health and improving quality of life and it provides a number of facilities that promote sport and physical activity including leisure centres, swimming pools, a golf course, an athletics track, sports pitches, parks and playing fields”.
National Planning Law – NPPF 97
Sport England ensures that Sport and Recreation facilities are strictly protected under national planning law via paragraph 97 of the NPPF.
If such a facility is to be lost, for example through redevelopment of the site as housing, then, without a replacement facility, it must be shown as surplus to sporting need.
Simply alleging financial unviability of such a facility is inadequate, it is an assessment of sporting need that is critical.
It is understood that HDC has commissioned an update to The Horsham District Sport, Open Space and Recreation Assessment. Pending publication and scrutiny by Sports England, the aforementioned evidence seems to clearly show that Rookwood Golf course is a ‘jewel in the crown’ of Horsham district for its provision of golf facilities, readily accessibility to all the community and the large green space that it provides adjacent to Warnham nature reserve.
Rookwood Gold Course is not surplus to sporting need and it contributes massively to the health & wellbeing of residents as a green ‘oasis’ in the increasingly built-up and expanding town of Horsham.
Rookwood Golf Course must be saved!
Our survey showed that 86% of respondents (1078 out of 1253) expressed concern about the loss of the golf course, with almost 50% (622) being very or extremely concerned.
This evidences the view that the green space of a golf course is much valued by the wider community, not only golfers.