UK Protests Highlight Debate on Developing Golf Courses for Housing

A manager at Enderby Golf Course described it as a nine-hole municipal course suitable for new golfers and retirees due to its smaller size and lack of challenging terrain. The manager stated that the course has seen a shift in demographics since before Covid-19, with the average age of golfers decreasing and many players now in their 20s or younger.

He added that losing the course would be unfortunate and that it would be one of the last sites he would choose for development.

District Council stated that the proposed development site, including the golf course, could help meet its obligation to deliver 654 new homes per year up to 2042. The council said the site offers an opportunity to create a sustainable community with public green space and affordable housing, and that it will balance housing needs against public amenity during planning stages.

The UK government aims to build 1.5 million new homes in England over five years, equivalent to roughly 300,000 to 370,000 homes per year. England has an estimated 270,000 hectares of golf courses, representing about 2% of the country's land area, similar to the area used for domestic buildings.

A representative from England Golf reported a significant rise in planning proposals involving partial or full loss of golf provision over the last two to three years, attributing this to the large, well-located land parcels. Custodian Golf consultancy reported that nearly 20% of golf clubs are financially at risk, which could influence decisions to release land for housing.

Membership at English golf clubs increased from 730,602 in 2024 to 750,071 in 2025, with junior membership growing by more than 34% in 2025, from 46,028 to 61,483. The proportion of adult golfers on full-length courses in the UK and Ireland who were female rose from 15% in 2019 to 20% in 2022.

Breach, director of policy and research at the Centre for Cities think tank, stated that too few homes are being built in the UK, contributing to high housing costs. Ben Cooper, head of the Fabian Housing Centre, said that using land for golf courses amid a housing crisis, with people in temporary accommodation, may not be the right priority compared to building homes.

Russell Curtis, director at RCKa architects, calculated that Greater London has more than 90 golf courses covering an area roughly the size of the borough of Brent, and suggested they could be converted for various uses, not just housing. Nicole Guler, a chartered town planner and director at Urbanist Architecture, said that developing golf courses for housing could be suitable if the sites are well-connected and accessible.

Curtis added that new homes should be built close to social infrastructure without heavy reliance on car ownership.

July 2024, the government introduced a 'grey belt' policy in England, allowing some green belt land to be redesignated if housing targets cannot be met. A Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government spokesperson stated that the government is addressing a housing crisis by building needed homes to restore homeownership.

In Wales, the golf governing body reported awareness of very few courses being converted to housing, largely due to their rural locations. Scottish Golf stated that the issue has not emerged as a major concern in Scotland. Paul de Zylva from the environmental group Friends of the Earth noted that studies suggest golf courses can perform poorly for biodiversity compared to natural habitats and that their maintenance can be resource-intensive, though many courses are improving their environmental practices.