PLANS to demolish the existing practice facility at Test Valley Golf Club in Overton have been given the go-ahead and will allow users to have a “realistic experience” in the two new “teaching rooms”.

The planning permission was granted by Hampshire County Council’s regulatory committee on Wednesday, March 15, with conditions such as the completion of a legal agreement to ensure that “all alterations to vehicular access points, HGVs involved in the delivery of imported materials are routed southward only”.

The initial application proposed the construction of eight lodges; however, the applicant withdrew this element in January 2023.

With no objections from the committee, the project will be constructed in three phases.

The replacement “state-of-the-art” facility building comprises an office, store, shop, toilets, storage for equipment and golf carts, two “teaching rooms” where customers can practise their shots in a “realistic experience”, and 12 practice bays.

Andover Advertiser: Floor plan of the practice facility at Test Valley Golf Club Floor plan of the practice facility at Test Valley Golf Club (Image: Test Valley Golf Club planning design and access statement)

First hole will be swapped with the location of the current driving range and improved as “it is lacking in health and safety”.

The short game area will be redesigned and reconfigured to increase the size of the green, including several bunkers and artificial trees scattered.

Mounds, hollows, swales and ridges would all be installed to make golfing more “interesting and testing”.

The works will be monitored by the Environment Agency and the Contaminated Land: Applications in Real Environments (CL: AIRE), an independent not-for-profit organisation.

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The expansion will offer more parking spaces, from 110 to 171, and more disabled spaces, which are currently three and will see an increase to eight.

But at the committee, Cllr Louise Parker Jones pointed out that of the six planned electric car parking spaces with charging points, “none are available for people with impairments”.

She said: “Often people think that people having impairments don’t try electric vehicles.”

An officer responded: “That’s a valuable point and obviously something we need to look at and amend. We will keep an eye on it. That is something that we will discuss.”

The demolition and posterior construction of the facility will require the importation of 281,550m³ of clean inert soils per year for three years.

HGV movements to the site would equal 80 two-way movements per weekday, 400 a week, limited to 8am to 5pm on Monday to Friday only.

As well as a “pre-commencement road survey” of the section of public highway between the site’s access – White Hill Road junction to Micheldever Road’s junction with the A303, which is being undertaken.

During the consultation period, county councillor Jackie Porter sent an objection letter about the impact of the lorry’s movement on the drainage system.

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She wrote: “The section of Overton Road from Larkwhistle Farm Road to the trunk road bridge is narrow in places, and the drains on the northbound side become damaged by lorries passing across the edge of the highway.

“This leaves no space for walkers (there is no footway here, but homes further north), no space for cyclists and is damaging the drainage system behind New Road."

The decision report indicates previous concerns were raised by the Local Highway Authority “over the bridge over the railway line being particularly narrow” but these have now been satisfied "as there are wider sections on approach, and vehicles, including HGVs, can wait in these areas safely before crossing."

It continued: “The applicant is also proposing that their temporary contractor’s compound area would be used to inspect HGVs for cleanliness before departing the site, and the covering of loaded HGVs would be imposed by condition to ensure spillages during transport did not happen."

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For its part, Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council presented its objection and concerns about environmental risk.

It stated: “Risk of contamination to land and water from imported materials has not been adequately assessed.

“Objection on several grounds, including no demonstration of need/viability. The volume of inert materials needed is very high and greater than pre-app amount.”