After years of behind-the-scenes talks with Waverley Planners, Alfold’s Wildwood Golf Course owners have cut and run.
After years of trashing the golf course, its environment and the wildlife, flora and fauna that once flourished on the Surrey/Sussex border in Alfold, the owners – Pekers – have put the place up for sale. Presumably, its plans for an Eco-Retirement Village went into a bunker.
This is what it looked like when Phill & Louise Harrison ran the club for the previous owner, Edmund O’Reilly Hyland. When the Wildwood Golf & Country Club was something of which Alfold was proud. It held golf tournaments, attracting top professional golfers, had fundraising events, and its Christmas and New Year events were legendary.
The latest twist in the fate of the beleaguered club is a far cry from this headline… on the WW.
Wildwood Golf Club is set to become one of the principal golfing destinations in England.
A group of “high net worth individuals” is putting its weight behind the club to build a multi-million-pound Hotel, improved golf course, 39 golf lodges and more.
The development plans for Wildwood Golf & Country Club came only days after plans for 1,800 homes in nearby Dunsfold Airfield were announced.
Now, Dunsfold and Wildwood have yet to be developed!
What’s going on in Alfold’s Wild ‘West’ wood?
Could a new village be coming to Alfold sooner than villagers think?
Things have gone very quiet in recent months except for a variety of security people, but now the golf course, with consent for a hotel and Spa, is being visited by prospective purchasers.
The former prestigious clubhouse that staged numerous golf tournaments and a healthy membership is now a shadow of its former self. Former members told the Waverley Web they doubt the course designed by Ronan Rafferty could ever be played on again – without massive investment. The scene below has been repeated across the site. The present owners planned to create a new village within a good drive from two nearby developments, at Alfold Garden Centre and land adjacent to the Alfold Petrol Station.
Now, the clubhouse is being smartened up, presumably to attract buyers.
Here’s the advert in a recent edition of Golf News.
The Pekers and their representatives did exactly the same to my neighbours property , another property in Cobham and a grade 1 listed building in Cobham where a heritage floor was ripped up ( this one was done by the representative himself )so I do wonder whether development was on the cards ever or whether these were purchased as vehicles for something else . Each of the above were never completed just wrecked and sold on .
Hi Dolly, Your comment is very interesting. The WW has been wondering for some considerable time whether this once beautiful golf course was a vehicle for something else. We have been very suspicious about the owners and their destructive actions. We would like to hear more from you about the Listed building you mentioned. If you wish to contact us by e-mail you are very welcome. contact@waverleyweb.org
Just emailed
Oh no, I love walking here with my dog, it is my favourite place. I was hoping it could be a Nature Reserve for everyone to enjoy.
We used to walk there when it was operating as a golf course – it was wonderful – there were plenty of areas for the local wildlife to flourish alongside the rough/woodland and fairways and lovely ponds for frogs, toads, newts, dragonflys and more. A nature reserve would be perfect but is there anyone out there prepared to sink millions into such a project?
We too used to walk there when it was a beautiful operating Golf Club and most of the players were lovely and dog-friendly as long as you respected that they had right of way when playing. There was and still is plenty of Ancient Woodland and still plenty of wildlife. it was such a beautiful place so loved by many in the Village. it still is beautiful Despite the mess the current owners made of it.
I just cannot see it ever reverting back to a Golf Course as it would cost Squillions and you could probably buy one that hadn’t re-wilded for a fraction of the cost.
The other possible problem with the site is that we have heard (only rumours of course!! ) that there was/is contaminated soil issues, not so much the contamination from the Existing Maintenance Yard, but Soil that was bought into the site and “dumped” in what used to be the Car Park and behind the Maint Yard , and is now surrounded by Hoarding, adjacent to Pickenswood ASNW . (TPO Trees)
This went on for Months back in the end of 2020-2021 when Loads of HGV’s came and delivered Soil and took other soil Back out. We and many other dog walkers witnessed this. You will also be aware that they tried to restrict Public Access to the PROW and send us all around the Back of the Car Park via Pickenswood via a temporary Footpath – thankfully this in the end didn’t happen due to the Stop Notice issued by WBC as works had started Prior to conditions (mainly on the Protection of Trees) had been signed off.
There was so much damage caused to the site and not limited to the Area of the agreed Planning Application of 2010, but well outside of it. And so the rumours of Pre-Application meetings for 199 Lodges fills me with Horror. The Lodges in the Original Application were NOT to be used for Permanent/Long term Occupation but only for the Golf Training Academy & additional Accommodation for the Proposed Hotel & Spa. None of which seems to be in the offing as yet?
Many of the Lakes and Ponds dry out in the Summer months so unless someone is willing to seriously invest in sorting out the drainage issues I do not know how this Lakeland Lodge option would ever be viable.
There are still many of the Environmental Mats/ Doormice Boxes etc.. still onsite in the Woods and along the many footpaths, they have obviously not been collected and analysed and all of the previous Ecological Surveys are now out of date, so before any Development takes place – I am guessing they will have to be redone? We know there are Great Crested Newts that have been seen sunbathing By the Side of the Club House
I guess until there is some sort of Consultation between who every buys it and the Village we shall just have to wait and see… But who ever takes it on needs to look at the Site and not the Glossy Pictures on the various Websites for its SALE that show the Golf course in it’s Heyday – It sure doesn’t look like that now.
I include a Link of some of the Pictures I have taken over the years. As you can probably tell – I am rather attached to this particular Asset that the Village of Alfold has. Some of my beloved Dog, Twiggy’s ashes are in the Large Lake on the 9-Hole and it is an ASSET we don’t have very much in our Village but this one is IMPORTANT to many of us here in Alfold and Cranleigh and it should be protected.
It is Countryside BEYOND the GREENBELT Outside of the Village Boundary, despite the new 142 New Homes being built on the other side of the A281 by the Petrol Station. It has Listed Buildings/ Monuments and Ancient Woodlands.
Alfold deserves more than this systematic Dumping of Everything the Rest of the Borough don’t want
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/idnh5h8k85e895n48nqlf/h?rlkey=pw1du06p8i2utmlexe3p052tp&dl=0
Just a few pictures of the Site.
I hope that this site gets the Protection it deserves from Waverley.
Very Grumpy of Alfold