Golf Course Architecture - Issue 66, October 2021

76 HOL ING OUT Sustainability first The R&A’s new golf facility is being built with the local environment in mind E arlier this year, The R&A submitted planning application to Glasgow City Council for the construction of a new golf facility on the site of the former municipal golf course, Lethamhill. Its plans included the creation of a community venue with a nine-hole course, par-three layout, putting greens, short game area, adventure golf and a 25-bay f loodlit driving range. The plans and project have seen The R&A work alongside Scott Macpherson Golf Course Design, IMG and Holmes Miller. Construction of the new facility is underway and is expected to open in summer 2023. The environmental impact and sustainability of the facility have been key considerations from the outset. “We are conscious of our responsibility to ensure that the new community golf facility exists in harmony with nature and local wildlife and so we have developed a comprehensive plan with enhancements for native plant and animal species, as well as existing habitats that will benefit them,” said Jenny Brown, director of business development at The R&A.” The Seven Lochs Partnership has also been involved in the development of the plan. A new network of public nature trails that link into existing walking routes of the Seven Lochs Wetland Park is being created for use by visitors to the urban heritage and nature park. Several ecology surveys have already been undertaken by ecologists alongside Nature Scot and Applied Ecology, to produce a biodiversity enhancement and management plan that outlines measures to improve biodiversity throughout the venue and enable its integration with the adjacent Hogganfield nature reserve and the wider Seven Lochs Wetlands Park. Other environmental benefits include extensive tree planting and seeding of native scrub to offset the necessary felling of poor condition or unwanted trees, as well as creating over three hectares of new species- rich wildf lower grasslands and wetlands with pollinator-friendly marginal planting. GCA Images: The R&A