London Borough of Havering
Havering has nine active golf courses, (excluding those with fewer than nine holes) which together cover a total of 476.99 hectares. That's approximately 4.25% of the borough's total area. Of these, two are publicly owned.
| Course Name | Freehold Ownership |
|---|---|
| Maylands Golf Course | Privately-owned |
| Ingrebourne Links Golf & Country Club | Privately-owned |
| Cranham Golf Course | Privately-owned |
| Romford Golf Course | Privately-owned |
| Risebridge Golf Course | Owned by borough |
| Top Meadow Golf Course | Privately-owned |
| Northwood Golf Course | Privately-owned |
| Crowlands Heath Golf Club | Owned by borough |
| Upminster Golf Club | Privately-owned |
In total, Havering has 162 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 Havering's courses over a twelve-hour day is 2,025, or 648 people at a time. Therefore the total maximum density across the borough's golf courses is 1.36 people per hectare.
Havering has an approximate housing density of around 9 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 1,531 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 651 homes could be delivered at prevailing densities. That figure is 5.07% 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 Havering's golf courses to provide new housing is 4,132, assuming only those areas of courses within the new London Plan policy H2 zone are reclaimed for housing. That is 32.15% 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 16,526.
Using the same methodology for publicly-owned golf courses within Havering, a total of 109 homes might be created (0.13% 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 437.
Havering has 2,213 people in temporary accommodation, and 1,987 households on its housing waiting list.
Cranham Golf Course
Cranham Golf Course is a privately-owned golf course with 18 holes, and an area of 36.54 hectares.
The freehold is owned by Cranham Golf Course Limited, under freehold title number EGL9964.
The entirety of this course's area lies within the green belt.
Crowlands Heath Golf Club
Crowlands Heath Golf Club is a publicly-owned golf course with 9 holes, and an area of 22.66 hectares.
The freehold is owned by London Borough of Barking & Dagenham, under freehold title number EX21411 and NGL35352.
1.82 hectares (8.03%) 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 9 homes per hectare), it might be possible accommodate around 17 homes.
However, with a more ambitious density target of 125% compared to prevailing densities, this could be increased to around 22 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 109.
The entirety of this course's area lies within the green belt.
Ingrebourne Links Golf & Country Club
Ingrebourne Links Golf & Country Club is a privately-owned golf course with 27 holes, and an area of 146.19 hectares.
The freehold is owned by Ingrebourne Valley Limited, under freehold title number EGL11147 and NGL181780.
The entirety of this course's area lies within the green belt.
Three courses comprising 9 holes each
"Following extensive earthwork movements and considerable investment from Ingrebourne Valley Limited, the owning company, Ingrebourne Links opened holes 1 to 4 of the second and much anticipated East 9-holes in June 2019 with the remaining 5 holes scheduled to open in the Summer 2020. The final South 9-holes is planned to open in 2021."
Maylands Golf Course
Maylands Golf Course is a privately-owned golf course with 18 holes, and an area of 50.76 hectares.
The freehold is owned by Glebelands Estates Limited, under freehold title number NGL99351.
The entirety of this course's area lies within the green belt.
Northwood Golf Course
Northwood Golf Course is a privately-owned golf course with 18 holes, and an area of 46.02 hectares.
The freehold is owned by The Northwood Golf Club Limited, under freehold title number AGL74030.
40.24 hectares (87.44%) 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 9 homes per hectare), it might be possible accommodate around 380 homes.
However, with a more ambitious density target of 125% compared to prevailing densities, this could be increased to around 475 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 2,414.
The entirety of this course's area lies within the green belt.
Risebridge Golf Course
Risebridge Golf Course is a publicly-owned golf course with 18 holes, and an area of 55.98 hectares.
The freehold is owned by London Borough of Havering, under freehold title number NGL40596 and NGL120638.
The entirety of this course's area lies within the green belt.
Romford Golf Course
Romford Golf Course is a privately-owned golf course with 18 holes, and an area of 37.34 hectares.
The freehold is owned by The Romford Golf Club Limited, under freehold title number EGL65670.
0.73 hectares (1.96%) 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 9 homes per hectare), it might be possible accommodate around 7 homes.
However, with a more ambitious density target of 125% compared to prevailing densities, this could be increased to around 9 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 44.
The entirety of this course's area lies within the green belt.
Top Meadow Golf Course
Top Meadow Golf Course is a privately-owned golf course with 18 holes, and an area of 41.27 hectares.
The freehold is owned by private individuals, under freehold title number BGL106598, NGL75953, EGL276153 and EGL370857.
The entirety of this course's area lies within the green belt.
Upminster Golf Club
Upminster Golf Club is a privately-owned golf course with 18 holes, and an area of 40.23 hectares.
The freehold is owned by Upminster Golf Company Limited, under freehold title number EGL382925.
26.07 hectares (64.80%) 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 9 homes per hectare), it might be possible accommodate around 246 homes.
However, with a more ambitious density target of 125% compared to prevailing densities, this could be increased to around 308 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 1,564.
The entirety of this course's area lies within the green belt.