A major housebuilder has sparked a row in a posh cathedral city over plans to wipe out a 'beautiful' golf course to pave the way for a colossal 170-acre housing estate.
Bloor Homes could turn the green space into a sprawling development with 1,200 'low-carbon' homes, many of which will be designated as affordable houses.
Residents have opposed the plans for South Winchester Golf Club as they say the huge development will ruin the 'beautiful' views out across the rolling hills that are currently enjoyed at the course.
Bloor Homes - which boasts of being 'the UK's largest privately owned housebuilder' with an annual turnover of £1.3 billion - bought the land the club at the cathedral city is on in 2021.
The housing giant argues that affordable homes are 'needed' in Winchester because it is so expensive to live there.
A councillor in Winchester believes the plans will get signed-off to comply with the government's housing pledge.
The 18-hole South Winchester Golf Club was designed by the BBC's late golf commentator Peter Alliss alongside Ryder Cup Captain Dave Thomas.
Homes average £800,000 in the area.
South Winchester Golf Club is under threat from a proposed 170-acre housing development
The course was co-designed by the BBC's 'voice of golf', the late Peter Alliss
Under Bloor Homes' plans, up to 1,200 homes on the 'Manor Park' development would be built as well as a school, sports facilities, and limited green space. It is thought 40 per cent of the homes will be affordable housing.
Residents have said Bloor Homes' plans are 'total madness', arguing that the surrounding infrastructure simply cannot support the build and that the countryside views will be spoiled.
A private consultation for the development has just ended, ahead of official plans being lodged. The golf course has been told they will have the site for a further five years.
But with housing pressures for the city rising, Hampshire County Councillor Jan Warwick believes plans for the development will soon be submitted and accepted.
She said: 'There's an algorithm the government uses that says that Winchester needs to have 62 per cent more new housing, so the council is having to plan a lot more.
'Considering that I think it's likely that it goes ahead.
'It's a greenfield site because developers prefer that as a blank slate, but we should have a brownfield first policy to stop sites like this being taken over.
'The biggest thing is the residents will have the view taken away. It's a beautiful sight, full of views of the rolling hills.
'And there's the traffic. The council did a study a few years ago and it showed that 70-80 per cent of the traffic into Winchester comes in through the south road which will be disrupted by the construction.'
Cllr Warwick, a Conservative, has said that traffic is one of the chief concerns and warned of pressure on 'oversubscribed' local schools and the NHS.
Club member John Pearson said membership lists were full at other local clubs
The course was built to take advantage of the natural contours of the land, but residents fear it could soon be full of rows of houses
She continued: 'That's everything coming into work from surrounding towns, but it's also the schools and sixth form. It'll just add to the time it takes to get to the schools.'
John Pearson, 83, has been a member of the golf course from the year before it opened in 1993. He said that no other nearby club has room to take extra members.
Mr Pearson explained: 'Winchester needs more than three golf courses.
'If the 800 members leave then the other clubs in the area cannot take them. One has a waiting list of eight months just to get on the official waiting list and the other has a waiting list of a year.
'If we are forced to go further afield it will make many of us leave the sport. I'm 83, so I just won't be able to play.'
He added: 'It will mean the loss of a lot of green space, lovely views, and the natural habitats will be destroyed. The golf course is 100 per cent green space and I see animals there all the time.'
Another resident, Mel Drew added: 'Sooner or later we're going to run out of spaces to cram these houses into, so why not stop now while we still have some quality of life left?'
Others said it was 'total madness' and 'we need more houses like a hole in the head'.
A Bloor Homes spokesman said: 'We are in a position to deliver much-needed new homes and community facilities for Winchester, one of the least affordable cities to buy a home in the country.
'Our public webinars and local engagement have given us invaluable feedback and insight into the city's needs and we have responded to these by designing a sustainable community, which we believe will make a great contribution to Winchester life.'
Mr Allis was known as 'the voice of golf' but also ran a course architecture business with Mr Thomas.
The BBC commentator died aged 89 in December 2020, a month after covering his last tournament.
