Golf driving range a done deal say Friends of Springfield Park

A proposal to develop a golf driving range at Springfield Park is being opposed by the Friends of Springfield Park. The Friends say the park should be retained for the benefit of all the community and not just for golfers.

Link4Life, the organisation responsible for leisure and cultural services in the Borough of Rochdale, says that a feasibility study is underway but nothing has yet been decided, however, the Friends do not believe that and consider the golf driving range is already a “done deal”.

Councillor Angela Coric accused council officers and Link4Life of being “arrogant” and guilty of “poor communication”.

Councillor David Clayton agreed adding that councillors “losing control” was always the danger of having Link4Life as a partner of the council. He said: “We councillors are being kept in the dark. Whose idea was this golf driving range? Why have councillors not been told about it? Something is wrong with the way things are being done.”

However, Lib Dem party leader and leader of the council, Councillor Alan Taylor, slapped down his two colleagues and said they should remember the benefits Link4Life has brought to the town. He said: “Link4Life have improved facilities superbly with their professional expertise. They are able to attract funding the council cannot.

“As for Springfield Park and a golf driving range, a feasibility study is being undertaken and hence there is no need for councillors to know anything until that has been completed.”

The Friends of Springfield Park were not at all convinced and speaking to Rochdale Online said they fully expect the feasibility study is simply a means of stopping objections to the driving range.

Beryl Wilkinson said: “If we lose five acres of open playing area, our children and amateur sports people would have to travel to Heywood or Broadfield Park to find any open flat playing areas. Springfield Park is also used by dog walkers and people just going for a stroll. Marland, Sudden and Castleton are lacking in open spaces.

“The five acres that would be taken over by the golfers would also increase volume of traffic and noise, and the access to the park is poor with a very narrow one way system for leaving the park; it would be very difficult to improve the exit road.

The five acres in question were previously football pitches used by local amateur football leagues until the start of last season. Link4Life told the Friends of Springfield Park that the leagues had requested to leave due to the poor condition of the pitches. The Friends have since been informed by the leagues that this was not the case, the leagues were given no choice but to leave and would have been happy to stay but would have liked to see the quality of the pitches and changing facilities improved – and that could be done for a lot less than the cost of creating a golf driving range.