Locals to help shape luxury holiday park on derelict Goosnargh golf course

Designers for the 64-acre project on the derelict nine-hole course in Goosnargh say they are keen to hear from locals before they submit a planning application later in the autumn.

A consultation event is to be held in Whitechapel Village Hall on October 6 (7pm-9pm) where the scheme's architects, planning consultants, highways engineers, landscape consultants and ecologists will all be on hand to answer questions. The plans will also be available on-line for five days

“The investors behind the project live in the area and we want our neighbours and friends to have every opportunity to explore these exciting proposals thoroughly,” explained Peter Allen of Preston-based GHV Ltd.

"We’ve received some very helpful advice from officers at the city council and county council that has helped us refine our proposals.”

Goosnargh Golf Club opened as a pay-as-you-play course in 2005, but closed down at the start of the Covid pandemic.

The developers plan to convert the old course into a high quality tourism destination offering 127 upmarket lodges and 33 caravan pitches, together with a range of leisure facilities, possibly including an indoor heated pool, tennis courts, games room, bar, restaurant and spa.

Peter Allen says initial discussions with locals have already provided "a very useful steer" about how they wish to see the site regenerated.

“There’s a recognition that our investment can have a big impact on spend with local shops, pubs and services such as hairdressers, not to mention all the wonderful suppliers of artisanal food in the area," he said.

"People have also told us they welcome the new jobs our investment would bring, but rightly wanted to know more about the traffic impact on local roads. We’ll be answering this question, and others, in detail during our consultation."

Figures produced by consultants Hatch show that local businesses can expect a £1.9m annual boost in visitor spend in the immediate area, with a further £2.3m coming in the form of wages paid to locally-recruited staff, more than 100 of whom are expected to work on the site when fully operational.

A further 45 jobs are expected to be created among the local building supply chain during construction.