Wirral Council to spend £600,000 on it's Jack Nicklaus resort plan

Wirral Council has approved plans to spend an extra £600,000 pursuing its 'golf resort' plan on greenbelt land in Hoylake, which will be designed by Jack Nicklaus Design. 

The decision by the ruling Labour party was scrutinised at a Town Hall committee after it was “called in” by Conservative councillors, who said council spending should be focused on priority services.

The meeting saw council leader Phil Davies and head of regeneration and planning David Ball face questions over the feasibility of the scheme, its environmental impact and whether the money could be recouped if the project did not go ahead.

The committee backed the decision by nine votes to six, despite a move by opposition councillors to send it back to the council’s cabinet and request more consultation.

Cllr Davies had urged committee members to support him, saying spending the money on the ambitious project was a “risk” worth taking.

But Cllr Chris Blakeley, Conservative councillor for Moreton and Saughall Massie, said it was “gambling with council taxpayers’ hard-earned money”.

Cllr Davies said: “I do believe this project is a unique opportunity. I believe the benefits for Wirral and Hoylake could be enormous in terms of jobs, investment and additional revenue for the borough.

“I think what this boils down to is what is your appetite for risk. In my view we must be risk aware but not risk adverse.”

It’s a big, bold move, but we would love to see this project go–ahead as it would be a big boost to the local economy, and we are always up for a new Jack course.

Related:

New Jack Nicklaus course to open in Scotland in 2020