News: 10 golf courses on collision course with High Speed 2 route

The Belfry, home to the Ryder Cup is one of 10 golf clubs affected by HS2

High Speed 2 will cut a swathe through 10 golf courses in its first phase of construction, but the wide-ranging powers that HS2 Ltd have to compulsorily purchase land is having a chilling effect of the affected clubs willingness to talk, Patrick Edwards finds out.

The US Masters is over for another year but for 10 golf clubs affected by the high speed 2 route golf may never be the same again. The lush  greens, fairways, bunkers and club houses under threat from the new rail line include The Belfry, home to the Ryder Cup, along with clubs at Aylesbury Vale, Uxbridge, Kenilworth, Darnford Moors, Marston Lakes, Buckinghamshire, Ruislip, Whittington Heath and Lichfield.

For many clubs the prospects of rail way evisceration has been hanging over them since 2010 when the route for high speed 2 was proposed and consulted on in the dying breath of the Labour government. For others though the threat of high speed rail has been more recent.  In Lichfield the original route for high speed rail avoided the 128 year old golf club and instead went through the medieval town. The revised plans will see the line split the golf course and places its Victorian club house directly in its path.

HS2 Ltd  will be given powers to both compulsorily purchase land and determine the price they will pay for it which has left many clubs feeling powerless. Clubs we have spoken with point to a period up to November 2013 – before  the hybrid bill was published detailing the route for HS2 and the land needed to be acquired – where HS2 Ltd were “very helpful”.  ” We were asking for certain things and there was an ongoing dialogue”, a club official who wanted to remain anonymous said. After the bill’s publication, though, the mood changed; ” They completely ignored 18 months of dialogue we had. They’ve effectively marked a line in the sand where they are sitting behind.”

An alternative to  negotiating directly with HS2 Ltd to  acquiring their land  would be for clubs to petition MPs directly to alter the route, but many view this as  a risky option that will garner little public sympathy. Another club official who wanted to remain anonymous said; “Golfers don’t draw the greatest sympathy in the world. We’re not likely to be forming a militia taking 6 irons to the gates of Downing Street.”

In statement HS2 Ltd said; “HS2 Ltd is in talks with a number of golf clubs along the route to understand the potential impact of the new railway on their business and what can be done to help. As well as potential financial compensation, we are looking at other forms of assistance to keep golf courses and other businesses open, including help to rearrange operations or find an entirely new location, depending on the circumstances.

“No two golf clubs are the same and each will be looked at individually in line with the rules of the compensation code.”