‘No alternative’ – Golf course to be converted into graveyard

A golf course facility popular with junior players is set to be converted into a graveyard to address burial space shortage.

That is despite the fact hundreds of residents have been left outraged by the plans.

More than 350 people opposed the proposal that would see Downshire Golf Club lose some of its land to an expansion at the adjacent Easthampstead Park Crematorium and Cemetery.

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But the Berkshire course will now lose five acres of its ‘pitch and putt space’ – occupied weekly by dozens of youngsters and beginners – to allow what council leaders say will allow for 25 more years of burials.

Bracknell Forest Council’s cabinet claimed there was “no alternative” after voting in approval for the conversion on Tuesday. They also argued there were “multiple alternative facilities” nearby for golfers, including Wokingham Family Golf, Golfplex and Lavender Park.

“Without this extension, many residents would have to seek burial plots outside the borough, often at a significantly higher cost,” a council report read.

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Thankfully for members at Downshire, no other facilities at the venue will be impacted.

Mark Tenant from Everyone Active, the company that runs the course, said: “We respect the council’s decision-making process and their responsibility to address the needs of the entire community.

“We recognise that this decision affects some of our golf players, and we are committed to working with the council to ensure a smooth transition and to explore ways to enhance other golfing facilities.”

Alongside its 18-hole parkland course, the Downshire venue also includes a floodlit Trackman driving range and a golf simulator.

Downshire is a popular breeding ground for young players, with one player estimating 150 children used the ‘pitch and putt’ course weekly before its imminent closure.

Ben Parsons joined bunkered as a Content Producer in 2023 and is the man to come to for all of the latest news, across both the professional and amateur games. Formerly of The Mirror and Press Association, he is a member at Halifax Golf Club and is a long-suffering fan of both Manchester United and the Wales rugby team.