'Wayward golf balls' block football club move

A youth football club planning to move to a new ground have had its hopes dashed after plans were refused due to risks of being hit by "wayward" golf balls.

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

East Devon District Council planning committee members said the club needed to prove players, volunteers and parents would not be at risk and, without proof, council officers had recommended refusing the planning application.

The club unsuccessfully argued the golf club should be responsible for risk assessments and measures to ensure golf balls were not a danger to people using its ground.

Before the ruling, a report to the council 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 club's overseeing charity, said the current site used – St Rita's Fields on Ottery Moor Lane – was a "temporary measure 30 years ago" with the nearest point of access 400m (1,300ft) away from the playing field.

He said before the meeting the issue of "wayward golf balls as a reason to recommend refusal is absolutely ridiculous" and, if golf balls were a risk, it made far more sense for the issue to be "dealt with at source" rather than using third parties.

After the ruling, he said: "There's a lot of talk about having another survey, and this survey and that survey.

"The problem is we've spent over £45,000 and... that's an astounding amount of money to spend on something which is effectively a community asset."

Eileen Wragg, chair of the East Devon District Council planning committee, said: "We couldn't be absolutely certain that we could guarantee public safety.

"While members wanted to support the club's ambitions, approving the application without the necessary evidence could have left the decision open to legal challenge and would not have provided the level of assurance needed on public safety.

"The applicant now has the option to submit a revised application or appeal the decision."

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