A golf club has unveiled its secret weapon in the battle to defeat Kirklees Council’s controversial plans to close it down.

Bradley Park Golf Club has been earmarked as a location for about 1,500 homes in the council’s development blueprint, the Local Plan.

The club has now recruited an expert town planner to try and fight the proposal to pave over the much loved greens and fairways.

Well known planner, David Storrie, is officially attempting to scupper the idea on behalf of the thousands of golfers who use Kirklees’ only public course.

Huddersfield town planner, David Storrie

Mr Storrie has said it was his opinion that Kirklees had not followed national planning policy.

He has lodged an objection that argues the council’s plan is not legally compliant.

The lack of any other municipal course or any plans to replace Bradley Park is also a key part of his argument.

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Meanwhile it has emerged that Sport England, the government quango in charge of promoting grassroots sport, has objected for the same reason.

National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) guidelines state Kirklees must either show Bradley Park is surplus to requirements or will be replaced by equivalent or better facilities elsewhere.

Neither is the case as things stand as the club has reported record attendance levels and Kirklees has said there are no plans to create a new public golf course.

Mr Storrie said: “Bradley Park Golf Course is the only municipal golf course within Kirklees and is unique in what it provides.

“The broad spectrum of people that it caters for cannot be matched by private golf clubs in the district.”

Sport England’s objection says it is clear there is not an over-supply of golf provision in the area.

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It says studies by England Golf have shown other courses are more traditional and don’t offer the “broad appeal” that Bradley does.

Mr Storrie’s submission also argues that the council’s strategy of seeking to build a quarter of the 31,000 homes needed on just three large green belt sites is wrong.

The other two are Chidswell and Dewsbury Riverside – a large plot between Ravensthorpe and Mirfield.

He argues the council’s planners have wrongly rejected a series of smaller plots on the fringe of green belt zones, including in Dewsbury, Mirfield, Kirkheaton, Netherthong, Birdsedge, Honley, Meltham, Denby Dale, Shelley and Gomersal.

The council is still examining legal challenges to the Local Plan and is expected to submit its final draft to the Planning Inspectorate next month.