Tee with a view: The Addington golf course is renowned for its tough par 3s and outstanding views over London
Multi-million-pound sports business that needs to provide its members with a practice range is seeking to annex 15 acres of Shirley Heath in a deal with Croydon Council. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES
A world-famous golf club which charges almost £2,000 just to become a member has held discussions with Croydon Council on what has been described by conservationists as a “land grab” of parts of Addington Hills and Shirley Heath public open space.
The proposals from The Addington Golf Club are “privatisation by stealth”, according to one source.
An official from a wildlife organisation has described the golf club’s plans as being typical of “development proposals that seek to damage or remove areas of nature conservation importance”.
Residents fear that Croydon’s cash-strapped council will be a soft touch for The Addington’s platitudinous proposals, which include turning six hectares (15 acres) of public open space on Shirley Heath into a golf driving range and irrigation pond.
“Our council don’t seem to care what happens as long as it means more money for them,” one said.
There’s mounting suspicions about the proposals, even a suggestion that the council might be considering selling off this considerable chunk of much-loved public open space for less than its true value, just to reduce the authority’s costs in maintaining the heathland habitat.
And residents who have attended meetings arranged by The Addington say that they understand that the golf club may have been conducting these “consultations” on advice from the council, as Addington Hills and Shirley Heath have somehow become part of the asset disposals proposed by Mayor Jason Perry’s bankrupt borough.
Bunkered: Ronnie Corbett often played at The Addington. He was said to have an outstanding short game…
The Addington is world-renowned as the golf club where King George VI often played, as did the author PG Wodehouse, the creator of characters Jeeves and Wooster.
Wodehouse regarded some of the insatiable bunkers around the course with such trepidation that he once wrote: “Anyone wishing to write to the author should address all correspondence to: PG Wodehouse, c/o the sixth bunker, The Addington Golf Club, Croydon, Surrey.”
In the 1920s, such was the wealth of The Addington’s upper-crust membership, it was said that there were rarely any spaces in the car park because it was always full of Rolls-Royces.
More recently, famous comic Ronnie Corbett was a regular there, and since 2006 the course has been owned the Altonwood Group, the golf business set up by Ron Noades, the late chairman of Crystal Palace FC. Altonwood also owns courses at Westerham, Woldingham, Godstone and the Surrey National at Chaldon.
Storm clouds gathering: the golf club wants to take over the habitat management of Addington Hills public open space
Noades was an enthusiastic golfer, and legend has it that he decided to buy The Addington because he had never been allowed to play on its manicured greens and carefully tended fairways when he was a younger man.
After Ron Noades’s death in 2013, his youngest son, Ryan Noades, took over the running of the golf business. Ryan Noades is reputed to have net wealth of £55million.
In the past couple of years, Noades has begun extensive re-modelling of the 110-year-old course, to bring it back closer to its original design. This has involved felling many trees, opening up some land with the neighbouring Addington Palace GC, and plans to replace the 1950s-built clubhouse with a modern building on a different site within the course’s lands.
According to a leaflet distributed by The Addington to local residents’ associations in the past month or so, “A lack of funding after WWII allowed the site to be engulfed by dense vegetation. This jeopardised the golf course’s masterful design and also saw the loss of the site’s heathland fauna.
“The club is now carrying out a massive investment to restore the golf course and its heathland back to what it was.
“Various improved infrastructure is required to support this restoration and ensure the club becomes a world-class venue once more.”
Masterplan: the golf club says it needs only six hectares of Shirley Heath for its driving range, but their proposal brochure includes outlines of habitat ‘management’ in Addington Hills, too
This “improved infrastructure” includes taking 15 acres of Shirley Heath and turning it into a golf range.
“We wish to ultimately host tournaments, a pre-requisite for which will be a full-length driving range, which we do not currently have space for,” the club says. Obviously, club members who paid nearly £2,000 to join or those who pay up to £165 for a round of 18 holes might also expect to have practice facilities that are commonplace at most other, less-exclusive golf clubs.
The Addington also wants to dig out a large pond, to store rainwater “making us more sustainable”. Unmentioned in the leaflet is the massive cost savings for a golf club in reducing the amount of mains water it uses.
“We need an additional six hectares of land. We propose siting this on a small part of Shirley Heath. The driving range could be accessible to the public…”, that’s nice of them, “… and the lake could form a pleasant part of the improved public park and add further ecological benefits.”
‘Unmanaged’: conservationists insist that heathland is not supposed to be over-managed, and they highlight the considerable amount of volunteer work undertaken there
Much of The Addington’s PR charm offensive has been found by residents and ecologists to be… well, just offensive.
“Croydon Council owns 62 hectares of Public Open Space on Shirley Heath and Addington Hills. They are mostly unmanaged woodland,” the leaflet begins.
“Historically, these were heathland sites, but their heathland characteristics have almost entirely disappeared and they are deteriorating due to lack of management and funding.
“Seeing investment return to these areas would provide new facilities for locals, allow for the heathland to be restored and generally improve the value of these areas to their surrounding communities.
“The Addington Golf Club is proposing to provide that investment. In return, we would want to locate a golf practice facility and irrigation infrastructure on approximately six hectares of Shirley Heath.
‘We need to defend our precious public green spaces’
“This proposal would see 56 hectares of land on Shirley Heath and Addington Hills significantly improved for local community use, through the provision of environmental and ecological benefits, and the creation of more accessible and valuable public open spaces.”
One conservationist source today described the proposals as “a hotch-potch of platitudes and sweeping statements, basically to give the impression this is all for the good”.
They said: “We know why some sites (or parts of sites) are under-managed, but they don’t require a six-hectare landgrab with destination ‘gubbins’ to sort those issues out.
“This is privatisation by stealth,” they said. And they added that while some parts of Addington Hills would benefit from having more resources to conserve the heathland heritage, “I’m not sure a golf club is the organisation that should be doing it.”
Peter Underwood works for The Conservation Volunteers, who have been active in the area for decades – doing much of the work in Addington Hills that Croydon Council has often neglected to do. He also lives locally.
He told Inside Croydon: “I was shocked when I found out about these outrageous plans for a private club to take control of our public spaces just so they can build a driving range for their members.
‘Shocked’: Peter Underwood
“It is clear that they have no understanding of how rare and special these sites are for nature and for local people. Sadly, the only thing that didn’t surprise me is that our council don’t seem to care what happens as long as it means more money for them.
“We need to take a stand to defend our precious public green spaces.”
Matthew Frith is the director of policy and research at the London Wildlife Trust. He told Inside Croydon: “We are alarmed by this proposal by The Addington that seeks to remove six hectares of Shirley Heath for a golf driving range on the pretext that it is the only solution to address the conservation of the heathland habitats of this part of Croydon.
“While we acknowledge that the proposal states the importance of these habitats in a local and regional context (albeit not in any detail), the proposal describes them in wholly negative and subjective terms, a typical pretext that we see in many development proposals that seek to damage or remove areas of nature conservation importance.”
Inside Croydon approached Croydon Council and Mayor Jason Perry with a series of questions about the authority’s position on The Addington’s proposals, also asking whether Mayor Perry or any Croydon councillors are members of Altonwood-owned golf clubs or have enjoyed gifts or hospitality there.
There had been no response by the time of publication.
We also approached Ryan Noades this morning with a series of questions regarding The Addington’s proposals, which he said he would be unable to respond to before publication.
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We’ve had this sort of thing before with the Tories, when they sold off parts of our Riesco collection to refurbish the Fairfield Halls (which they then didn’t do).
Piss-poor Perry shouldn’t be allowed to sell off our public open space (and a haven for wildlife) to a golf club that will turn it into a sterile green desert for the rich
So this was what Jason Perry meant when he said he was going to sell assets to fix the finances! This land belongs to all of us. It shouldn’t be in the mayor’s power to sell it.
This land doesn’t belong to the council, it belongs to us.
It’s also crossed by an ancient bridle way that has linked Shirley to Addington Village for centuries. It’s been a Right of Way for all that time.
The areas are not “technically” public open space – they are just that in reality.
At one time this was all common land including the golf course and we should be really looking at restoring the heathland on both sides of the road and removing the golf course. The rich continue to deprive us in pursuit of profits. So we are to lose our library and our common land, what next for your mates Perry?
I think that if this proposal is even considered by Perry he will lose what conservative vote remains.
Absolutely disgusting that they could even consider it. It certainly cannot be cost saving because they spend sweet f.a. on this land.
Piss-poor knows he’s got fat chance of getting in again, so like the Tories in government, he’ll do whatever he can get away with while in office. This time last year he was busy ordering the Parks department to waste our money on strimming and cutting any wildflowers. Now he’s selling off part of a wildlife reserve. We can now see this as part of a pattern and a policy – he doesn’t give a shit about the environment. All he thinks about is money and sucking up to his puppet masters in Matthew Parker Street
Croydon Greens have already signalled their intention to fight this, and should check Perry’s legal powers to do this.
Who knows, maybe Stuart King and what’s meant to be the Croydon Labour Opposition might wake up and help make this an election issue
This is an area of woodland hugely undermanaged and one of the most valuable faunas heathland lost. It should be restored, and it’s clear the council aren’t going to do this. Looking at the proposals thsi would be great for Croydon, local residents and enhancing wildlife in these areas. Don’t we all want Croydon to have something to be proud of? I cannot see it at the moment.
Don’t let the truth get in the way of a good story… journalists.
“The truth”? This report comprises more than half direct commentary provided by the golf club itself.
You’re probably correct to doubt its truthfulness.
What is it to be restored to?
It’s former industrial land, home to various sand extraction pits (e.g. the dip in the middle of Foxes Wood). Nature has already reclaimed it over the last 150 years or so.
Yes work can be done to improve the habitat, but restoration no.
With all due respect to Ron Noades and co, his interest is fencing land off to extend his golf course and make more profit. You only have to look at Thames Water and other profit making enterprises to see that their first priority is, quite rightly, to their stakeholders.
That’s what they are set up to do and the public interest is a poor second.
Croydon Council have no track record of policing agreements (bus stops anyone?) so we can be fairly certain that any promises are unlikely to hold water, whilst yet more public facilities are lost along with public rights of way that have existed for centuries.
We have precious little green space as it is.
The land isn’t being ‘sold’
The proposal is to be allowed to use of some, the club is proposing to restore & manage the site for the benefit of all residents……
It may also surprise you to learn, without the rates that businesses pay to the council, they would be further in debt
It’s either that or you can all double your council tax…
Thanks for confirming that: the multi-millionaire golf club owners don’t want to pay for the public land. They expect the council to *give it to them* so that they might operate their business more profitably!
Genius!
Trebles all round at the 19th hole!
You present this as a rich man – poor man dialectic! I don’t think there’s any mention of ‘enclosures’ or fencing out hoi polloi. I hope there’s money to be had for the council that can be invested in giraffes and culture.
Michael, your company accounts are overdue by 63 days. Best sort them out instead of posting tripe about stealing our land and doubling our Council Tax (which Perry would gladly do given half the chance)
Difficult to know if it’s a bad idea. Depends whether wildlife habitats are protected and or improved.
Being a local resident, I would rather this proposal than how the land is currently used. For years this land has been ripped apart by locals on their Scramblers and Quad motorbikes. It’s also used as a massive rubbish bin by the vast majority that drive along Shirley Church Road and dispose of there rubbish out the window!
There is currently no maintenance of this site and as far as I can tell very little care.
As long as the local wildlife is protected then renting the land to a company that maintains the area sounds like a win win to me.
Funny how all these “local residents” who support the golf club land grab always want to express their opinion anonymously.
Why might that be?
Viridor and Sutton Council promised to restore the landfill site in Beddington in exchange for planning permission to build the Beddington incinerator. Nothing has happened to improve the site and now, 7 years later, those promises are being watered down by the new land owners. The same fate would befall Addington Hills – councils and big business cannot be trusted.
Wasn’t this land originally owned by the Addington pre-WW2 anyway? I think there was a second 18 holes on that side – which was actually the better course. CPO after WW2 was put in place to take it for a load of quick build new housing estate.
And your point is?
If a housing estate was built on the “new” course after the war they couldn’t have possessed the site they now want to land grab. I see there is a bit of counter spinning going on in the comments to attempt to legitimise a creeping privatisation of public land.
They also ignore the “purchase” bit in compulsory purchase.
The golf club was paid for the land that they sold.
I can’t find any evidence that the owners of what is now called “The Addington” ever owned the golf course on the other side Shirley Church Road. The Addington was set up in 1913 (on what was Addington Park, previously part of Addington Palace’s grounds), the other golf course on part of Shirley Heath in 1922 (Links View Road is the only evidence now of its existence). The council compulsorily purchased the latter in 1934 and built pre-fabs on part of the site which lasted until the early 1960s when Shrublands was built. Whatever the truth there is no entitlement by Mr Noades and his business partners to reclaim or be given the land as they either never owned it or were paid for it.