Knowsley Council has approved plans to redevelop Kirkby Valley Golf Club near Liverpool, England.
This story was originally reported by Golf Course Architecture magazine.
The club has been taken over by Green Circle Leisure, which is aiming to turn Kirkby Valley into a ‘Total Golf’ destination, in a similar way that it has done at Allerton Manor and Sherdley Park; by providing golfers with a championship course, short layout, adventure golf and driving range.
Green Circle hired International Design Group (IDG) to develop a plan, which includes reshaping greens on the existing course and rebuilding them to USGA specifications, rebuilding tees, and installing new irrigation and drainage.
A new nine-hole par-3 layout is planned for the southwest corner of the property, while an 18-hole adventure golf course will be built near the car park, clubhouse and driving range.
“We are delighted that these plans have been approved and that we can now start to realize our exciting vision for Kirkby Valley,” said Richard Gee of Roman Summer Associates, Green Circle’s planning consultant.
“It’s been a long process, but we are grateful to Knowsley Council planning officers who have worked with us to refine plans and ensure the best possible scheme that will deliver one of the UK’s premier public pay and play golf destinations.”
IDG originally submitted plans in 2021, but following consultation, the architects revised their masterplan to minimize the impact the project would have on the site’s greenbelt status.
IDG principal Andrew Craven said: “We set out to deliver a fantastic golf-for-all offer whilst safeguarding Kirkby Valley’s landscape and environmental value. We’re proud to be delivering a significant net gain in the site’s ecology and biodiversity, through new planting and habitat creation.
“We listened to concerns raised by Knowsley Council and other consultees and believe that we have delivered the best possible design solution for what will become an exceptional and successful golf destination.”
The project will also include a new clubhouse, golf shop, two-tier driving range, teaching spaces, bar, restaurant and function space, designed by Liverpool-based Brock Carmichael Architects.
“The new clubhouse and driving range buildings will provide first class social and leisure facilities,” said John Cassell of Brock Carmichael. “They will provide a much-needed social amenity for the Kirkby community. It was important that the design and materials of the buildings fitted in with the wider masterplan and complement the natural landscape and visual character of the course.”
Green Circle plans to offer outreach programmes for participation and coaching to local schools as well as expand opportunities to those in the community that are underserved.
“We’re committed to ensuring that as many jobs as possible are for local people and we will be working with Knowsley Council and partners to target opportunities for those who are long-term unemployed or disadvantaged in the labour market,” said Yvonne Jackson, Green Circle’s operations director.
“We are also a Merseyside-based company and are therefore committed to using local contractors and suppliers during the construction phase to maximise the benefits to the local economy.”
Green Circle expects work to start in spring 2025, with the new facilities anticipated to open by April 2028.
