Exeter Golf and Country Club submits planning application for safety netting

Exeter Golf and Country Club has submitted a planning application to Exeter City Council for high safety netting around part of its boundary.

A development of around 25 new houses, called Great Woodcote Park, are being built by Charles Church, which is part of the Persimmon group, on a section of the golf course boundary.

The Club has been advised by two separate specialist golf architects that the houses are sited too close to the boundary, increasing the risk of golf balls leaving the course and causing injury or damage.

In order to preserve the safety and playability of the course, the Club has been advised that safety netting, up to 30 metres in height, needs to be erected around the 9th, 10th and 18th hole boundaries and along other sensitive sections of the boundary to catch the golf balls.

Will Gannon, chairman of Exeter Golf and Country Club, said: “Golf balls leaving the course are our responsibility so we have to do everything we can to ensure people can play the course safely and minimise the risk of causing injury to anyone.

“Several new developments have been built around the course in recent years and we have always welcomed the idea of new neighbours, our only concern being the safety and playability of the golf course.

“When it emerged last year that the houses planned by Persimmon would pose a threat to safety because of their proximity to the boundary, we started negotiations with the developer to see if they would move their houses back.

“Unfortunately, Persimmon has now started building so we have been left with no other option than to install the netting.”

One of the planning conditions for the development, imposed by Exeter City Council, states that Persimmon must treat the boundary between the houses and the Club in such a way that it minimises the effect of the development on the golf course.

Persimmon has started building but it has not yet agreed with Exeter City Council how this condition will be satisfied so the Club must install netting if it is to protect the boundary satisfactorily.

Exeter Golf and Country Club is in Countess Wear in Exeter. Founded in 1929, it has 750 golf club members and 4,000 other members who use the additional facilities including indoor and outdoor swimming pools, tennis, squash, a bridge club, fitness centre and a range of classes.