Hartlepool Golf Club to redevelop course amid fears over coastal erosion

Proposals have been submitted to Hartlepool Borough Council planning department to carry out the work at the Speeding Drive site.

Bosses at Hartlepool Golf Club are looking to provide four new replacement holes on the 18-hole golf course.

Holes two, three and five would be “completely new”, including work on tees, greens, fairways and bunkers, while hole one would also have a new green installed.

Meanwhile the proposals include the realignment of three existing holes on the course, which include further new fairways and tees at two of the sites.

The planning application submitted states the “new holes are being proposed to be built to replace holes at high risk of being lost to coastal erosion on the easternmost edge of the existing golf course”.

A design and access statement lodged in support of the application says all works will be carried out on areas that are already used for golf, including the existing academy course.

It said: “We will be working carefully with the existing site to create a course that mirrors the challenge that golfers face on the current course.

“The course design, landforms, and landscaping have all been conceived to maximize this potential while sensitively ensuring the enhancement of the local biodiversity and allowing visitors to experience the beauty of this specific location.”

The works would also include the installation of new drainage and irrigation systems, the creation of three seasonal ponds and realignment of existing ditches.

A council decision is expected to be made in January.