A COUNCIL-OWNED golf course which has been given a new lease of life by volunteers could be used for housing, it has emerged.
Keen golfers from Castlemilk have teamed up to revive the Linn Park course after it was closed by Glasgow City Council during the covid pandemic and never reopened.
But part of the course is earmarked for new homes in the city’s draft development plan — which is set to go out for public consultation in August.
Steven McKinney, Eddie Montgomery and friends have made nine holes playable again. They want the course to remain for “the people of Glasgow”.
The pair, who are setting up a community trust with the aim of taking over the course, said the feedback from locals has been “amazing”.
“I can’t even go to the shop for a pint of milk without somebody saying something,” Montgomery said.
McKinney added: “If you’re a serious golfer, it’s a practice place. If you’re just starting out, it’s ideal.
“If you’re a young person, a wean or an older person who can’t go and join a club, you can come down here and keep your golf game going.”
However, the council’s development plan states the course, at Simshill Road, is “no longer operational” and an area could be used for around 150 homes. It is listed as a long-term project which could be delivered in years seven to 10 of the 10-year plan.
Cllr John Carson, Labour, who represents the Linn ward, said the golf course is “a much missed amenity for residents since its closure by the council due to lack of funds”.
He acknowledged that building more houses “has to be a priority” for Glasgow, but added sport and leisure “must also be a priority for the health and wellbeing of residents”.
Cllr Carson said it was “incredibly frustrating” that while efforts to bring the course back into community use were ongoing, the council was “looking to build houses on the site and slipped the proposal into the city development plan”.
He encouraged the community to have their say when the 12-week consultation process gets underway.
Steven said the Castlemilk community has come together to breathe new life into the course. “I didn’t think that existed any more,” he said.
Eddie added: “There’s people I’ve seen down here in the last eight weeks that I’ve not seen since that club was open.”
Almost £5000 has been raised through a fundraiser, with some of the cash going towards a ride-on landmower to cut back the fairways.
At a recent council meeting, an official said the draft development plan includes some changes which are “quite significant”, including at Linn Park where some greenbelt land would be allocated for “housing development”.
A council spokesman added the course had been “decommissioned following a budget in 2020 that required the council to make £50 million worth of savings”.
“Publicly-run courses taken out of operation experienced low usage and carried a substantial annual deficit,” he said.
“The new city development plan is currently a proposal and must go through a lengthy process of scrutiny and representation before it can be formally adopted.
“This process includes a 12 week period for public consultation as well as oversight by the Scottish Government.
“The proposed plan seeks to open up land for over 30,000 new homes, create economic development areas to deliver jobs and growth and support the regeneration of the city centre.”
The spokesperson continued: “For health, safety and insurance reasons, Glasgow City Council and Glasgow Life can’t support or endorse anyone taking action by themselves to play golf at the former course at Linn.”
