Bolton’s hopes of hosting the Ryder Cup in 2031 have been crushed after councillors voted against proposals for a housing development and championship golf course to be built at Hulton Park.
Revised plans to develop the 800-acre site in Greater Manchester were scrutinised by Bolton Council’s planning committee on Thursday and rejected by a margin of 15-1. Councillors heard a claim that the proposal was a “housing project in golf’s clothing”.
Planning committee chairman John Walsh proposed refusing the application, citing the impact on the green belt land on which the venue would have been built.
Cllr David Wilkinson, representing Westhoughton South, said: “The golf course devastates a large area of land and brings a thousands plus house and some of the issues if they’re not dealt with at planning level brings more problems to us as Westhoughton people. The Ryder Golf tournament is window dressing, I’m sorry it’s a vanity project.”
Richard Knight of Peel L&P, the company behind the £200 million project, had called on the council to “seize this once-in-a-generation opportunity and support our efforts”.
Speaking after the announcement, Knight said: “We’re disappointed by this outcome. Bolton has quite possibly missed out on the biggest investment in its history. Bolton Council had approved the previous scheme and encouraged us to make positive changes. It has done a U-turn at the last hurdle. It is hard to comprehend, but evidently very localised opposition has taken priority over all of the potential benefits for Bolton.
He added: “We will now take the time to reflect on the decision and liaise with our partners to consider if there is any way the project can still be brought forward, or whether we now need to consider if there are alternative opportunities for restoring and bringing new life to Hulton Park.”
Bolton Council’s decision now leaves the London Golf Club in Kent as the frontrunner for England’s bid to stage the biennial contest nine years from now, with a decision expected in July.
A spokesperson for Ryder Cup Europe said: “We have received considerable interest in staging future editions of the Ryder Cup from several countries and venues across Europe. Discussions with all interested parties will continue in the months ahead before any decision and announcement is made.”
The last English course to stage the Ryder Cup was The Belfry in 2002. The next two Ryder Cups on European soil will be at the Marco Simone Golf and Country Club in Rome in 2023, followed by Adare Manor in Ireland in 2027.