London Borough of Waltham Forest

Map showing golf courses in borough.

Waltham Forest has only one active golf course, which covers a total of 43.48 hectares. This course is publicly owned.

Course NameFreehold Ownership
Royal Epping Forest Golf ClubOther public body

Assuming one hole takes an average of 12.5 minutes to play, and that a maximum of four players can play each hole at the same time, the maximum number of people occupying Waltham Forest's courses over a twelve-hour day is 225, or 72 people at a time. Therefore the total maximum density across the borough's golf courses is 1.66 people per hectare.

Waltham Forest has an approximate housing density of around 27 homes per hectare. If new homes were to be built on all of the publicly-owned courses in the borough, at this density it would deliver circa 494 homes.

Alternatively, if housing was built on those areas of golf course limited to within 800m of a station or high street, or with a PTAL of 3 or more, then around 1,127 homes could be delivered at prevailing densities. That figure is 8.91% of total housing target for the next 10 years according to the Intend to the New London Plan.

However, the current London Plan advocates for higher density development in areas with good access to public transport. Assuming a (conservative) target of 60 dwellings per hectare, the total capacity of Waltham Forest's golf courses to provide new housing is 2,462, assuming only those areas of courses within the new London Plan policy H2 zone are reclaimed for housing. That is 19.48% of the borough's total housing target for the next decade.

Based on an average occupancy of 4 people per home (based on 3.1–3.7 hr/unit), the total number of people living within the H2 zone of these courses would be 9,847.

Waltham Forest has 7,304 people in temporary accommodation, and 8,379 households on its housing waiting list.

Area of Golf Courses by Freehold Ownership Type

Royal Epping Forest Golf Club

Royal Epping Forest Golf Club is a publicly-owned golf course with 18 holes, and an area of 43.48 hectares.

The freehold is owned by City of London, under freehold title number AGL227139.

41.03 hectares (94.37%) of the course's area lie within the London Plan Policy H2 zone (ie. within 800m of a station or town centre, or with a PTAL of 3 or more).

If the area of this course within the policy H2 zone were released for housing at existing borough densities (around 27 homes per hectare), it might be possible accommodate around 1,127 homes.

However, with a more ambitious density target of 125% compared to prevailing densities, this could be increased to around 1,408 homes.

The current London Plan advocates densities of between 35 and 130 dwellings per hectare, depending on PTAL. Assuming an average density of 60 dph, the capacity of golf courses within the new London Plan policy H2 zone is around 2,462.

The entirety of this course's area lies within the green belt.