A LLANDUDNO golf club applying for permission to erect netting to protect residents and children from stray balls will be refused planning consent – if council officers’ advice is followed.
Philip Beard has submitted a planning application to Conwy County Council, seeking permission for the erection of a specialist golf-course netting along a boundary at North Wales Golf Club House on Bryniau Road.
The matter is due to be discussed at next week’s planning committee meeting at Bodlondeb.
The site relates to a triangular parcel of land to the south-west of the club house and to the north-west of residential properties on and around Fairways.
Some residents want netting – and even additional ‘panels’ not applied for – and fear a new tee location under construction will cause stray balls to hit houses and a play area.
Robert Sauter has written a letter to Conwy and wanted more extensive protection from stray balls.
“The proposed fencing is not sufficient protection for us all, and if not extended, there will be a danger of golf balls injuring somebody every time,” he wrote.
“Players have managed to overshoot the fencing from the first tee and damage our houses and cars already.
“I hope this matter can be addressed promptly and that a solution can be reached to ensure the safety of the children playing in the area and nearby houses.”
But planning officers are recommending councillors refuse the application due to the proposed fencing being considered “a significant addition” and “an unduly prominent feature in the landscape to the detriment of the visual amenity” of the area.
Officers also say the plans are inappropriate in a designated special landscape area and are contrary to green belt and green wedge policies.
The residential properties adjacent to the club comprises Fairways, Frank Villas, Elizabeth Villas, Clare Villas, Ernestine Villas, and Bryniau Court.
A public footpath runs between the golf course and residential properties in a north-east/south-west direction, running across the golf course and meeting a coastal path through the dunes.
While the golf course currently has netting erected in sections along the boundary with the residential properties, sections of the netting have holes in them and need repairing.
According to the council, the golf club doesn’t have planning permission for the existing netting, which is between 7.5 and 8 metres in height.
The applicant now seeks planning permission to erect 10m high fencing for 30m adjacent to Fairways.
The fence would comprise of three galvanised steel support posts with golf netting erected in between, fixed to horizontal wires.
The height of the proposed fencing would project above the height of the dwellings by two metres.
The matter will be discussed on Wednesday.
