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• Progress made on £80m Ury Estate development 
• Nicklaus course design tweaked to satisfy concerns
• Plans stalled after objections raised by various agencies

JACK NICKLAUS | URY ESTATE

Long-standing plans to build a new Jack Nicklaus-designed golf course near Aberdeen are finally back on track.

The £80m golf development at the Ury Estate stalled after a string of objections were lodged against it by various government agencies, including the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency, Historic Scotland, Scottish Natural Heritage and the Forestry Commission Scotland raised concerns about its design.

However, working with independent environmental experts, the developers behind the transformation of the estate, FM Group, have announced that a number of measures have been taken to address those issues.

They include a change in the orientation of the eighth hole, which will now play west to east away from ancient woodland on the banks of the River Cowie, avoiding mature trees and riverside habitats.

FM Group have also undertaken an independent study into the impact on woodland and produced a management plan to protect the woods and wildlife in the area during and after construction.

“We are grateful to Jack Nicklaus and his team for redesigning the eighth hole” – Jonathan Milne, FM Group

A total of 1,000 new trees have already been planted on the estate with around 2,000 more proposed around the golf course and the enabling housing development as part of what has been labelled a ‘comprehensive woodland management programme for the estate’.

Jonathon Milne, director of FM Group, said: “We are very sensitive to the natural environment. Ury is fortunate to contain a huge amount of biodiversity and we want to protect that.

“Our team of specialists has been working incredibly hard to listen to the consultees and fully understand the issues raised. We are confident that we are dealing with them all comprehensively and to the satisfaction of the majority of the consultees involved.

“We are particularly grateful to Jack Nicklaus and his team for redesigning the eighth hole so that we will have minimal impact on the woodland around this part of the course.”

An independent socio-economic impact report, by EKOS, commissioned for the planning application, revealed that the proposed championship golf course and associated housing development will generate £55.5million into the Aberdeenshire economy over a 15-year period, creating 200 new jobs in the process.

First announced in July 2007, the course was originally slated to open in 2009.

The £80million investment in the golf course and 90 high-end homes are at the heart of the overall transformation of Ury Estate, which will see the restoration and conversion of Ury Mansion House into a luxury hotel and clubhouse, a mix of high-quality, traditionally built, affordable and luxury housing, improved access, infrastructure and landscaping.

Milne added: “This much-anticipated golf development will really put Stonehaven on the map, attracting tourists and boosting business in the town. It is the final piece in the jigsaw for the Ury Estate development and an intrinsic part of the overall viability of the estate.”

Plans for a golf course at Ury Estate have been in the pipeline for a number of years. First announced in July 2007, the course was originally slated to open in 2009 before being shelved during the recession.

At the time, Nicklaus said that the finished course would be ‘something that is fun and enjoyable’.

Jack Nicklaus’ latest Scottish course :: your thoughts

Do you welcome news that Jack Nicklaus’ plans for a new course near Aberdeen are pressing ahead? Or do you think that this is another new course that Scotland doesn’t need? Leave your thoughts in our ‘Comments’ section below.

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Michael McEwan is the Deputy Editor of bunkered and has been part of the team since 2004. In that time, he has interviewed almost every major figure within the sport, from Jack Nicklaus, to Rory McIlroy, to Donald Trump. The host of the multi award-winning bunkered Podcast and a member of Balfron Golfing Society, Michael is the author of three books and is the 2023 PPA Scotland 'Writer of the Year' and 'Columnist of the Year'. Dislikes white belts, yellow balls and iron headcovers. Likes being drawn out of the media ballot to play Augusta National.

Deputy Editor

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