Pitch and putt saved as 'important' for tourism

Councillors have voted to keep a well-used pitch and putt golf course after an option to turn it into a nature area was met with opposition.

North Devon councillors voted to retain the attraction in Ilfracombe, which councillors heard costs more to maintain than it makes in rent.

Officers' proposal for the site at Larkstone Pitch and Putt to be reclaimed for "biodiversity purposes" sparked objections over its "importance" for tourism and use more generally.

Caroline Leaver, Liberal Democrat councillor for Newport, told the strategy and resources committee meeting she was "thrilled" people went there "but we should not expect taxpayers across North Devon to be paying for this as it is a commercial business".

The authority charges £520 a year to the current tenant yet it costs £1,900 per annum to maintain, the meeting heard.

The committee agreed to retain the Larkstone Pitch and Putt site as long as the council could make it "viable" under a new lease.

Proposals for the attraction included meadows, mown paths, picnic spots and "mown areas", the meeting heard.

Under the proposal, land would be used as an addition to the "buffer strip" around Hillsborough, a protected nature reserve, and would complement the existing meadow adjacent to Ilfracombe Swimming Pool, officers said.

The meeting heard, however, the site was "a really important part" of the town's offer to tourists, and popular with locals.

Sara Wilson, Green councillor for Ilfracombe West, said she supported moves to boost biodiversity but argued this was the "wrong place for it".

It was "a safe place" for young people to go and have some outdoor physical activity that was affordable, she added, while many had taken up golf after practising at the pitch and putt.

It was also an "important" tourist attraction, she added.

Ilfracombe Town Council had written a letter to the district council asking that the pitch and putt be retained.

Paul Crabb, Conservative councillor for Ilfracombe, said he understood when the "cheap" rent was agreed the land was not in use, while complimenting the owner on the site's popularity.

Tenant Andrew Hill maintained the greens well, he added, while he was a "reliable operator" who had suggested areas on the site where biodiversity could be improved.

Councillors delegated to officers the retendering process immediately so the current operator was not going into the winter "with uncertainty".

A report will be brought back to the committee next month.

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