Council takes possession of Wyre Forest Golf Club

Wyre Forest District Council has confirmed that it has now taken possession of the Wyre Forest Golf Club after its previous tenant, Burlish Golf Centres Ltd, had gone into administration in 2017.

Since that time the administrators, Hazelwoods LLP, based in Cheltenham, have been handling the affairs of Burlish Golf Centres Ltd and had been attempting to find a new tenant that the lease could be assigned to.

After prolonged liaison between the council and Hazelwoods had failed to offer any certainty regarding a prospective future tenant the council took action of its own and applied to the court for forfeiture of the lease, which was granted unopposed on Monday 21 May 2018. The court ordered that the council would be entitled to possession from Monday 18 June 2018.

Councillor Ian Hardiman, Wyre Forest District Council Cabinet Member for Planning & Economic Regeneration, said:

“The council has maintained a dialogue with Hazelwoods since Burlish Golf Centres Ltd went into administration in an attempt to find a suitable tenant that the lease could be assigned to, but as time went on no firm proposals came forward. The council was very aware of mounting issues of anti-social behaviour at the site and unauthorised occupation of the site. It felt that pursuing forfeiture of the lease was the most effective means by which it could assume full control of the site.

“I’m pleased that the council is now back in control and whilst we have no firm plans for the future of the site we will be using the Local Plan review process to consider options going forward. In the meantime we ask that anyone crossing the site sticks to the designated public rights of way and contacts the council if any unauthorised use of the site, such as by motorcycles, is spotted.”