SEARCH THIS SITE

• Business and trade
• Community life and leisure
• Council and government
• Education and learning
• Housing
• Jobs and careers
• Law and licensing
• Planning and the environment
• Social care and health
• Tourism and visitor attractions
• Transport and streets

Council news  >  Press Releases  >  Hazlehead Golf Course teed up for multi-million pound investment

Hazlehead Golf Course teed up for multi-million pound investment

11/02/09

Aberdeen City Council proposals to work with a private sector developer to rejuvenate Hazlehead Golf Course have passed a major milestone.

The full council has voted 28-13 to support in principle a partnership with The MacKenzie Club to enter into a lease agreement to improve the course and turn it into a global attraction.

The in-principle support for the arrangement will now require the City Solicitor to report to the Resources Management Committee on 10 March on elements of the lease deal which are still to be finalised.

If progress report on resolving outstanding issues is accepted by Resources Management Committee members, the matter will then go in front of the full council for a final decision by elected members.

City Council leader Councillor Kate Dean said the proposed 99-year lease arrangement with The MacKenzie Club presented a golden opportunity to plough millions of pounds of investment into the renowned course.

She added that the staged approach to a final decision at a future full council meeting allowed time for the remaining issues to be resolved.

Councillor Dean said: "This is potentially such an exciting development for the city but obviously there are still some concerns in some quarters which the council has listened to. The tender should not be formally accepted by the council until all reasonable and necessary safeguards are in place."

She said land issues, ticketing and pricing arrangements, and accessibility details were among the matters which needed to come back in front of the council before a final decision could be made.

Councillor Dean added: "We have to be absolutely certain that the council's interests, citizens' interests and golf players' interests are fully protected before we can authorise our officers to sign the lease."

"Hazlehead Golf Course needs major investment and for that we need a private sector partner. The council cannot do it on its own. We need to be innovative to make it happen and to open up Aberdeen to the world-wide golf tourism business.

Chair of the Hazlehead Advisory and Monitoring Board Councillor Kevin Stewart said: "We have the opportunity in front of us to restore this magnificent course to become a world-class facility which will draw people to Aberdeen from all over the globe. Major golf developments are beginning to happen all around us and I don't want Aberdeen to miss out. I want Aberdeen City and Shire to become a major player in the world of golf – and for Aberdeen to be right at the centre.

"Hazlehead is a jewel-in-the-crown asset which belongs to, and will continue to belong to, the council and therefore to the people of Aberdeen. Guaranteed, affordable, public access to the course is at the heart of this deal and I can assure everyone that no lease will be signed that fails to guarantee it."

The MacKenzie Club is aiming to invest in the No1, No2 and nine-hole courses, establish a Professional Golf Association academy to promote the game to young people and other potential players, create a new clubhouse and a five-star hotel, and build time-share accommodation.

The City Council has laid down a series of "principal objectives" for the project, which must be delivered:

• the courses must remain available to the public, with pay-and-play golf on offer;
• Hazlehead must be upgraded and maintained to a high standard;
• the history and the rich environment of the course must be respected;
• a new clubhouse must be built in harmony with the traditions of the course;
• a satisfactory and sustainable annual return must be generated for the city council;
• golf development must be central to the operation, involving the local community and other interest groups;
• the course must contribute to Aberdeen's image as a city of world-class golf.

The operator must draw up a 10-year business plan, capital spending proposals for upgrading facilities, and environmental and biodiversity policies – and will also have to consult the city council on pricing and any future increases.

A two-stage lease process has been devised in order to reduce to a minimum any risk to the council. The MacKenzie Club would be under a legal obligation to finance and build the golf-related infrastructure within about three years, before a long-term lease was drawn up to allow any further development to proceed.

Other measure include:

• guaranteed access and preferential pricing for Aberdeen residents;
• strictly enforced woodland and environmental management plans, subject to an annual inspection of quality standards by world-leading specialist consultants at The MacKenzie Club's expense;
• the engagement of existing council staff under transfer conditions that would protect their employment and pension rights.

The historic course was created by the world-famous designer Alister MacKenzie, who also laid out the home of the US Masters, the Augusta National. The 245-acre site comprises two 18-hole courses, a nine-hole course and a nine-hole pitch-and-putt, along with practice facilities and greenkeepers' accommodation.

If you have any queries regarding this, or any other news story, please contact Aberdeen City Council on: 08456 080910.