Planning

The biggest wins in sustainable golf development can be unlocked during the earliest stages of planning.

Integrated planning and design are crucial to a good outcome. Decisions made during early stage planning — particularly during conceptualisation and master-planning — will have the most significant bearing on the environmental and social footprint of the development — both in the short and long terms. For this reason, it is critical to get the product concept correct from the outset.

Appreciating the context and getting to know the site

Understanding the development context requires development team professionals to become fully aware of all the local laws and restrictions. Depending on the geographic location, the environmental and planning laws which apply to a golf development project can vary from the extremely rigorous to the virtually non-existent.

Even if regulations are lax, a good project will take steps to do what is best for the land and for the long-term benefit of the golf course business. Great and sustainable golf developments are not framed merely by doing the legal minimum, so after becoming familiar with all the laws that may restrict development, the next step is to thoroughly understand the site itself, particularly its unique natural and cultural qualities.

Without a sound understanding of the site’s core attributes, it is impossible to know what kind of golf development would be best for the site.

Thorough site surveys allow the team to discover what needs to be protected and enhanced — for example, how the native ecosystem functions and where the most sensitive and highest-quality natural areas are located. At the same time the team will identify less environmentally sensitive areas to locate more impacting and heavily engineered components. The team should also seek to understand the cultural heritage of the area and any historical or archaeological features, as well as what access is currently available to the local population and what are their expectations and rights.

The land itself also needs to be thoroughly examined — for example, the depth of the soil, rock obtrusions, and steepness of the slopes. Also the hydrology: which areas are too wet to sustainably drain and would be better retained as functioning wetlands within the development? Can the natural hydrology of the site be improved — for example, by opening up agricultural drainage and connecting surface drainage and water bodies?

Information derived from site surveys should be carefully analysed and properly evaluated to build a genuine appreciation of the interaction between the desired development and the host site.

Sustainable courses typically protect ecological hot spots on the property by steering clear of the most valuable habitats and biodiverse spaces. Working around ecological hotspots often leads to them becoming positive features that define the golf course and the landscape character.

Securing planning permits in a timely manner depends on fully understanding the regulatory and site contexts. Exploring and being able to demonstrate and communicate the team’s in-depth consideration of the site’s natural and cultural qualities, options and alternatives, can help assure governments and stakeholders that the developers have created the best proposal possible, economically, socially and environmentally.