Opinion: Speaking on behalf of Perivale Park Golf Club, spokesman Dave Chapman claims it is biased and misleading the way Ealing Council are conducting their current public consultation for the closure of Perivale Park Golf Course in favour of Ealing Council’s regional park scheme.
He writes:
“The Council is doing all it can to persuade people to agree to the closure of the golf course and support the creation of the regional park. The council’s case for the park offered a menu of recreational sporting activities for residents to select from.
“Their case for the closure of Perivale Park golf course consists of denigrating golf as a sport by not even offering it as a sporting activity, instead highlighting the need for playing Boules or Volleyball.! It’s a real shame the council seem hell bent on playing down the health and well being benefits of playing golf.
“Whoever wrote their public consultation papers need to check their facts. They talk about golf numbers declining. Across UK / Ireland there are over 16 million people engaged in some for of golf of which 6 million play traditional golf.
“In the last five years Perivale Park Golf Club has doubled its membership. The council’s own response to a freedom of information request we sent them said that last year 30,000 rounds of golf were played at Perivale that’s an average 82 rounds a day.
“That is a busy golf course and yet the are still trying to refute their own figures by saying that the same people play all the time. Well possibly yes, as you will have season ticket golfers who play golf on the course two or three times a week, so are they saying their regional park will only attract unique visitors every day of the year?
“The regional park scheme is a great opportunity for Ealing and we want to be part of it. There is no reason why Perivale Park Golf course, with a few adaptations, to incorporate hundreds of new trees, and identify areas for re-wilding could not be an integral part of the regional park.”
