Thursday July 31st 2025
Bruntsfield Links Golfing Society in Barton
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Joe Sullivan
An Edinburgh golf club is facing the wrath of local residents over plans for a giant net locals say will block views of the Forth.
Bruntsfield Links Golfing Society, in Barnton, is set to put up a ‘golfing pod’ – a cube of netting about 20 metres wide, 30 metres long and 17 metres tall – around the society’s practice area.
Society CEO Michael Braidwood says it is meant to replace smaller-scale netting knocked down during Storm Eowyn, and help prevent balls from entering the local community.
But pensioner Kenneth Sanderson, who lives in a terraced house overlooking the practice area, sees it as a damaging step for the club to take.
When he first moved in 20 years ago, he had an unobstructed view down to the Forth, but the club has added structures adjacent to its carpark below his house, including a shelter that can hold two golfers holding the practice area.
He said: “I’ve sacrificed half my view to keep two golfers dry, and now the club wants the rest of it.
“We are a group of residents overlooking the course. We have a magnificent view over the course down to the river.
“We know we have no right to a view under Scots law. We have to get that out of the way. The club, however, want to put up an enclosed golf pod which measures 20 metres by 30 metres by 17 metres high.
“It is just the last indignity of a whole series of things. We have asked them to tweak the plans by reorientating the pod or re-siting the nets, putting them at a right angle to [our view].
“They are steadfastly not listening to us.”
In a meeting in Mr Sanderson’s house, both he and Mr Braidwood sat for an interview at a kitchen table which has expansive views over the Forth.
Mr Sanderson, who is himself a member of the club, said that the group of residents had put forward an offer of a ‘middling five-figure sum’ to induce them to move the pod to a less impactful position.
He also said the club should be concerned about the visible impact of the golf pod at its proposed location, due to the impact on the view to the Forth from the club’s carpark.
The total cost of the golf pod is about £120,000, versus the £80k cost of replacing the fence. The pod would have systems that automatically drop the netting in high winds to prevent the kind of damage seen during Eowyn.
Mr Braidwood said siting the pod at the site of the current practice range, next to the club’s carpark, is a matter of convenience, adding that members might not be willing to walk 100 metres to use the facility.
But Mr Sanderson replied: “They’ve gone for convenience, and they have not taken account of their magnificent view. Do you know any other golf courses with a view like that?”
Mr Braidwood said he knew of other golf courses with nice views from their car parks, including one at Loch Lomond.
He also added that some of the visual clutter that currently exists in Mr Sanderson’s view of the Forth, including a portion of the old netting still in place, would be torn down when the pod was finished.
It is understood that the golf club is set to apply for planning permission to build the pod early next week, and that several locals are planning to object to it.
At the end of the interview, Mr Braidwood said he would bring the group’s concerns to the club’s directors, and recommend that submission of the planning application be paused.
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