London Borough of Bexley

Map showing golf courses in borough.

Bexley has three active golf courses, (excluding those with fewer than nine holes) which together cover a total of 56.63 hectares. That's approximately 0.94% of the borough's total area. Of these, two are publicly owned.

Course NameFreehold Ownership
Barnehurst Golf CourseOwned by borough
Bexleyheath Golf CoursePrivately-owned
Sidcup Golf CourseOwned by borough

In total, Bexley has 36 holes across these courses.

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 Bexley's courses over a twelve-hour day is 450, or 144 people at a time. Therefore the total maximum density across the borough's golf courses is 2.54 people per hectare.

Bexley has an approximate housing density of around 17 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 601 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 426 homes could be delivered at prevailing densities. That figure is 6.21% 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 Bexley's golf courses to provide new housing is 1,529, assuming only those areas of courses within the new London Plan policy H2 zone are reclaimed for housing. That is 22.33% 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 6,118.

Using the same methodology for publicly-owned golf courses within Bexley, a total of 1,091 homes might be created (4.43% of the London Plan target). 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 4,366.

Bexley has 3,860 people in temporary accommodation, and 6,553 households on its housing waiting list.

There are one golf courses in Bexley which are no longer in use, covering a total area of 14.27 hectares: Thamesview (Riverside) Golf Centre.

Area of Golf Courses by Freehold Ownership Type

Barnehurst Golf Course

Barnehurst Golf Course is a publicly-owned golf course with 9 holes, and an area of 24.46 hectares.

The freehold is owned by London Borough of Bexley, under freehold title number London Borough of Bexley.

14.14 hectares (57.81%) 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 17 homes per hectare), it might be possible accommodate around 236 homes.

However, with a more ambitious density target of 125% compared to prevailing densities, this could be increased to around 295 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 848.

All of this course's area is designated as Metropolitan Open Land.

None of this course lies within the green belt.

Bexleyheath Golf Course

Bexleyheath Golf Course is a privately-owned golf course with 9 holes, and an area of 11.58 hectares.

The freehold is owned by Bexley Heath Golf Club Limited, under freehold title number SGL739330.

7.30 hectares (63.04%) 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 17 homes per hectare), it might be possible accommodate around 122 homes.

However, with a more ambitious density target of 125% compared to prevailing densities, this could be increased to around 152 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 438.

None of this course lies within the green belt.

Sidcup Golf Course

Sidcup Golf Course is a publicly-owned golf course with 18 holes, and an area of 20.59 hectares.

The freehold is owned by London Borough of Bexley, under freehold title number SGL674924.

4.05 hectares (19.67%) 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 17 homes per hectare), it might be possible accommodate around 68 homes.

However, with a more ambitious density target of 125% compared to prevailing densities, this could be increased to around 85 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 243.

All of this course's area is designated as Metropolitan Open Land.

None of this course lies within the green belt.