The government’s housing agency has owned the site, in Rusper Road, since 2020 and has given notice that the club will need to leave by April, 2027 – the year of its centenary.
The site is part of an application to build 3,000 homes West of Ifield, which is unlikely to be considered by Horsham District Council for several months.
On Monday morning (January 5), campaigners and club members donned hats and gloves to call on Homes England to withdraw the notice to quit and wait to see if planning permission will be given.
Many were of the opinion that the agency believed permission was a foregone conclusion.
Cathy Durrant of Save West if Ifield, accused Homes England of behaving in a ‘cynical and aggressive way’.
Addressing a crowd made up of children, adults and pensioners, club members and people concerned with the development plans, she added: “By serving notice on Ifield Golf Club months before the application has been decided, they have blatantly ignored the views of all those who object to the application and the consequent closure of the club, not least consultees such as Sport England, England Golf and Sussex Golf.
“This shows they have a clear disregard for proper planning process and for consultees’ opinions.”
Information from Homes England read: “Homes England bought Ifield Golf Club in 2020 and it was communicated at that time that the intention was to bring forward new homes on the land.
“The club was granted a lease for five years and this has been further extended through a second lease. The club has been given as much notice as possible to help manage the orderly closure of the facilities in Spring 2027.”
It added that, should the application be refused, ‘the current lawful use of the site for outdoor sports and recreation, will remain in place with consideration given to its future occupation and use’.
Gillean Fuller, 74, of Horsham, said she had been a member of the golf club for ‘a very long time’, taking her first walks around the site in 1962 with her parents.
Describing the club as ‘a community’, she added: “It means everything. I think it’s very short-sighted of Homes England to do this now. They should have let the club have the centenary. People here have been looking forward to it and making great plans. I think it would have been something very special.”
As for playing golf in the future, she questioned which other clubs would be able to take on the 500 or so members looking for a new place to tee off.
Ms Fuller raised concerns about some of the older members becoming socially isolated without the golfing community to turn to for help and friendship.
She added: “It would be easy to lose track of people – and we don’t want that to happen.”
The golf club site was included in Horsham’s draft Local Plan, allocated for a residential led, mixed use development for up to 3,000 homes.
Information from Homes England said the intention had always been to submit a planning application alongside the Local Plan. But ongoing delays to that process contributed to the application being submitted early.
The information read: “Alongside new homes, there is a local requirement to bring forward, as a first element, a new secondary school to meet both an existing need in the community as well as places for future residents.
“Notice has been served on Ifield Golf Club, the current tenants of the golf course, to provide certainty to all parties and ensure the intended delivery programme.”
Save West of Ifield will be holding a public meeting on Wednesday January 21, starting at 7.30pm, at St Margaret’s Church, Ifield.
Speakers will include Michael Jones, leader of Crawley Borough Council, which has been vocally opposed to the development.
