Birkdale Common golf 'land grab' set for approval
Plus: Fraudster who stole £114k and lied about ill health brought to justice
Hello and welcome to the midweek edition of The Southport Lead.
Today’s edition looks at two planning applications which have attracted plenty of opposition - one which has been approved and one which looks likely to be.
The Southport Lead was the first to report on the Birkdale Common plans earlier this year and Sefton Council is expected to grant planning permission next week in the face of objections from more than 1,000 people. Meanwhile, those living nearby are unhappy over a separate decision to allow a new housing estate to be built on unused land.
Today’s newsletter also has the story of a fraudster who stole £114,000 from two grieving people and lied and conned his way into evading justice for years - but is now behind bars.
Golf course expansion set for green light to keep Open Championship coming back
A row is brewing ahead of the next golf Open Championship over plans for a hitting tee and new fencing at Hillside Golf Club.
The project is part of a planning application submitted by The Royal & Ancient Golf Club (R&A), organisers of the The Open Championship which returns to Royal Birkdale next year.
As first reported by The Southport Lead, the R&A wants to see Hillside Golf Club extended onto open land on Birkdale Common to extend the practice tee for whenever the competition takes place in Birkdale.
If approved, the plans would see the existing footpath moved back and the overall space available to the public narrowed, with fencing and gates placed around the new teeing area.
An urgent meeting of Sefton Council's planning committee will take place to discuss the application on Monday (August 18) and a report prepared by officers recommends it should be approved.
According to the council report, a consultation process included submissions from Environmental health, Merseyside Environmental Advisory Service, Natural England and Highways, resulting in no objections.
However, the plans have been met with significant opposition including a petition organised by local residents which has amassed more than 1100 signatures.
The petition states: “Birkdale Common is owned by Sefton Council and is a well-used public park. The plan as submitted proposes that a six foot high fence be constructed around the new hitting tee. This fence was not mentioned on R&A’s public consultation website during the consultation period.”
It adds: “We, the signatories of this petition, call on R&A Championships Limited to abandon its plan to take over part of our public park or alter it so there is no loss of public access with the exception of the duration of major golfing tournaments.
“We call on Sefton Council not to grant permission for this application unless public access is permanently guaranteed and a condition of the application being granted.”
Additionally, the local authority confirmed it received a total of 89 letters from neighbouring properties and interested parties objecting to the proposals. Those objections are characterised by Sefton Council as being based around concerns about the ecological impact, character and appearance, highway safety and the desire to confirm any changes would only be temporary.
The economic impact of hosting The Open is a significant one. When it was last held to Birkdale in 2017, a then-record attendance of 235,000 resulted in an estimated £20m boost to businesses across Sefton. Across the wider Liverpool City Region, the figure was £35.2m according to an independent report from the Sport Industry Research Centre at Sheffield Hallam University.
Those figures have only increased at subsequent tournaments and the R&A argues improved facilities are needed to meet modern demands if the Royal Birkdale is to continuing hosting such competitions.
Explaining the need for the change, it said: “In their own right, the practice facilities at The Open attract significant numbers of spectators and also improve player performance, making for a more attractive and memorable tournament.
“Enhancing the practice ground at Hillside Golf Club is vital for maintaining Royal Birkdale Golf Club as a viable venue for future professional and amateur championships, including The Open, AIG Women’s Open, Senior Open, and various international matches, all of which require world class practice facilities.
“It also enhances opportunities for Hillside Golf Club to host elite golf championships in the future, cementing the area’s reputation as a world-class golf venue and providing opportunities for significant economic benefits.”
The tourism boost associated with hosting The Open is cited as a key factor in the officer’s decision to recommend approval with the report explaining it “holds significant weight in the planning balance in relation to the loss of the limited amount of public space”.
A statement released by Sefton’s Liberal Democrat party said the plans for Birkdale Common are ‘controversial’ and called out the process for ‘limiting opportunities for discussion’, something disputed by the council.
The statement read: “The plans are being treated as urgent even though the changes requested are not needed before the Open Golf Championship next summer (2026).The application will go to an Urgent Referrals Committee not directly to the full Planning Committee.
“The Common land grab is being questioned by thousands of residents and many dog walkers who use the Common. Some oppose the proposed plans outright; others seek to modify them.”
According to Liberal Democrat opposition Leader, Cllr John Pugh, the rationale for deciding the application in this way is both dubious and unconvincing, he said: “The plans are being treated as urgent even though the changes requested are not needed before the Open Golf Championship next summer (2026).
“The application will go to an Urgent Referrals Committee not directly to the full Planning Committee.
“The Common land grab is being questioned by thousands of residents and many dog walkers who use the Common. Some oppose the proposed plans outright; others seek to modify them.”
He added: “Whatever decision the council comes to it has to be accepted that there are always important issues of principle in forfeiting the use of Common land that through the centuries has belonged to the people. It really should not be decided in a small room in Bootle with three councillors ringed by council officers which is what is going to happen.
“Controversial decisions have to be as open and transparent as possible and major planning matters should involve at least the whole of the planning committee, if not the whole council.
“Currently we do not even know if the council has agreed to sell the land and we certainly don’t know why the promoters of the British Open Championship are insisting on a practice ground in Southport appreciably longer than the one provided for the Open at Port Rush this year and at St Andrews where they are going to in 2027.
“It is difficult to understand why the practice tee at Royal Birkdale isn’t good enough and only suitable for hospitality tents. Consultation dates and details have changed and the fencing is a real issue.”
However, the chair of Sefton Council’s planning committee, Cllr Tom Spring hit back at Cllr Pugh’s statements and sought to provide some clarity, he said: “Cllr Pugh is fully aware of how an urgent referral committee meeting works.
“It operates in exactly the same way as a regular committee does. This means that ward members and petitioners get their democratic right to make representations. They also, vitally, get the same notice period and timescales to prepare any representations they may wish to make.
“It is a completely fair and transparent process.”
Residents feel ‘ignored’ after housing estate given approval
By Elliot Jessett
Neighbours feel they have been ignored by Sefton Council after they raised concerns about an access road to a new housing estate. Campaigners said they submitted a petition listing their objections including the potential impact on wildlife – it contained more than 200 hundred signatures.
Sara Oakes moved into the area around Lynton Road, Hillside, more than three years ago and said the potential development of the vacant site has been rumoured for years. She said: “It’s been a very long, slow process but in regards to the current plans, the council seemed to push it through very quickly, especially when you consider the concerns raised at the planning committee in June.”
LR Developments (NW) Ltd had submitted a proposal in 2022 to build 33 new homes on Lynton Road in Hillside Southport, which would include the demolition of No.34 Lynton Road to facilitate an access point to serve the development. However, approval was held up by Sefton Council’s June 2025 planning committee after a number of concerns were raised.
The new housing project was subject to a series of objections, including a petition signed by 195 local residents – and a representation by Hillside Golf Club – about the risks posed by ‘errant’ golf balls. The developer maintained that any potential risk is the golf club’s responsibility.
The terms of the planning application were initially heard at Bootle Town Hall on June 25 as councillors were asked to green-light the proposals, subject to conditions and the signing of a section 106 agreement. This included a commitment by the developer to contribute almost £300,000, including a £185,740 payment to mitigate the lack of affordable housing on the scheme.
After the adjournment of this meeting, the application was heard again on July 23 and an updated council report was presented by planning officers which referenced further information regarding the impact the development would have on the junction with Waterloo Road and the economic viability of the development.
It also set out a number of further objections which had been received since the previous meeting, together with comments on the further objections.
In agreement with the officers’ recommendation, councillors approved the application.
Responding to a question about the process and the involvement of local resident, Sara said: “We feel like we’ve been ignored.
“We’ve done two petitions with 200 signatures on both occasions, which should be indicative of the strength of feeling but it has come to nothing for now. We really would like to see a more robust, accessible and transparent process where local concerns are fully investigated.
“We’ve been left feeling quite frustrated, because we don’t feel some of our concerns were dealt with very fairly. For one, there’s the access road issue which the council didn’t seem to want to discuss.
“No.34 will be torn down and the new proposed road will be on a blind bend and that the two exits onto Waterloo Road, Sandon Road and Ryder Crescent are impossible to get out of at rush hour.
“They’re proposing a development of 33 houses. That’s potentially 33 plus new cars thrown into the mix.”
Specifically addressing the concerns raised about Waterloo Road, a technical report by SCP Transport Planning said no concerns have been raised by highways on either the access proposals or parking provision.
Sara added: “We have all this lovely wildlife surrounding us like bats and squirrels and foxes and deer, but none of this seems to be registering with the council.”
These sentiments are shared by Helen Jones, another concerned resident who is particularly worried about the implications for the local wildlife. She said: “Even my nine-year-old daughter, Maisie turned to me and asked ‘How can they build on that land when it’s covered in trees and has so much wildlife?’ Where will it go? Aren’t there better places to build?’
“She’s nine and can see that!
“There was a very healthy population of the protected common toad on the surveys and we know red squirrels use it all the time. We have video footage of the red squirrels and buzzards using the area.
“It would have been much better to turn it into a nature area using one of the many schemes available and continue the process of rewilding.”
The ecological survey published on the Sefton Council planning portal said inspectors found no evidence of red squirrels or natterjack toads, but confirmed the site does support a good population of common lizard – with a maximum of 16 noted during one survey – and common toad. The team also identified the presence of a single red fox.
A spokesperson for Sefton Council said: “Sefton’s Planning Committee considered this application, along with all comments received and concluded that the proposal is acceptable.
“As with all planning applications, the committee fully takes into consideration resident comments when reaching a decision and they are weighed up against technical evidence and other comments from statutory consultees.
“This includes concerns in regard to potential golf ball strikes and access arrangements.”
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