'Wayward golf balls' may block football club move

The threat of "wayward golf balls" could derail plans for a youth football club's new base.

Honiton Town Youth Football Club said its lack of toilets, changing facilities and poor access meant it needed to move to a site next to Honiton Golf Club.

East Devon District Council planning officers said the football club needed to prove players, volunteers and parents would not be at risk of being hit by golf balls and, without that proof, council officers have recommended refusing the planning application.

The football club said the golf club should be responsible for any risk assessments and measures to ensure balls were not a danger to people outside of the golf course.

The district council report said "the close relationship with the golf course could give rise to a significant adverse effect from wayward golf balls entering the site were these to hit someone".

It added: "Without an assessment of risk, it is not possible to determine whether a safe relationship can be achieved and what mitigation measures may be required to do so."

Planning officers said the football club proposals "would provide a strong benefit in looking to meet an unmet and growing demand for youth pitch provision, with associated well-being and community benefits".

But their report also said the proposed site was "not considered to be sustainably located" and raised concerns about the impact on the landscape.

Jon Leisk, chairman of the charity that oversees the football club, said: "As you can imagine, our specialist legal advice thinks using the issue of wayward golf balls as a reason to recommend refusal is absolutely ridiculous."

He said, if the golf balls were a risk, then it made far more sense for the issue to be "dealt with at source" rather than asking third parties to try and deal with it.

Leisk said the site the club currently used – St Rita's Fields on Ottery Moor Lane – was a "temporary measure 30 years ago" with the nearest point of access 400m (0.25 mile) away from the playing field.

The planning application will be discussed at East Devon District Council on Tuesday and Leisk said he was hoping club members would be able to convince the planning committee to approve the plans.

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