A disused golf course could become home to a new community sports hub and 100 homes.
Obee Estates is developing a project which would see Larkfield and New Hythe FC relocate to a new purpose-built community sports hub at the Oast Park Golf Course off Castle Way just outside Snodland.
If the plans go ahead, the golf club, which closed in 2017, would be transformed into a 4,500 sq ft clubhouse and two floodlit 3G pitches for year-round matches and training.
The proposed floor plan shows an accessible clubhouse, 250-capacity stands, two sets of home and away changing rooms and a function room.
There are also plans for a golf driving range and padel tennis courts.
John Michel is the chairman of Larkfield and New Hythe Football Club, which in May won promotion to the SCEFL Premier Division. He said: “Put simply, we need to relocate the club to survive.
“In previous years we have struggled to attract the major investment needed to maintain and improve our facilities.
“Our grass playing surfaces are not fit for purpose – 18 matches have been cancelled this season because of waterlogged pitches. We can’t go on like this.
“We’re excited about making Oast Park the home of the Larks.
“Our recent promotion reinforces the need for us to invest in club facilities and the opportunity to create a new club fit for the current league and our future.
“Moving to a new purpose-built facility will be transformational for our teams, supporters and the wider community.
“At the moment we are relying on facilities at other clubs and we don’t take priority.”
He said: “The artificial pitches alone are going to be game-changing, allowing us to play and train in all weathers. We’ll be able to make those facilities available to other teams, local schools and community groups too.
“We’ve shown the early plans to our team managers so they can have their say and be part of securing the future of the club.”
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If the scheme goes ahead for the relocation of the club, 50 new affordable homes will be created on the current site of Larkfield and New Hythe Football Club.
The plan for two-storey homes will incorporate a landscaped space fronting the road adjacent to Larkfield Playing Fields.
The public can learn more about the plans – and make their comments – at two public consultation events.
They will be at the Eden Estates Stadium in Larkfield, on Thursday, June 27, between 3pm and 7pm, and on Saturday, June 29, between 10am and 1pm.
The new Oast Park Sports Hub will be just under a mile from the football club’s current ground just off New Hythe Lane.
Plans for the sports hub include a bar and restaurant and Access would be off the A228.
More information can be found here.
Obee Estates has yet to make a formal planning application to Tonbridge and Malling council, but it is understood the masterplan also provides for 100 homes adjacent to the sports hub, 10 of which would be self-build plots.
Thomas Obee from Obee Estates said, “This is an exciting project that seeks to deliver exceptional facilities for a community football club, as well as bringing innovative new leisure facilities to the area for everyone to benefit from and create jobs both during construction and in the longer term.
“It will also unlock land in Larkfield for the provision of much-needed affordable homes in an area of need.
“We’re in the early planning stages of the project which involves meeting with local councillors and the community ahead of a formal planning application for Oast Park Sports Hub later this year.”
Larkfield and New Hythe FC was established in 1961 and currrently has over 30 teams, including women and juniors.