The future of West Middlesex Golf Club hangs in the balance after the council that owns the freehold of land has given the green light for a controversial deal that could bring an end to 135 years of golfing history at the venue.
The club, which currently has over 400 members and employs 27 people, has had its 75-year lease revoked by Ealing Council, which wants to sell a parcel of land currently occupied by the club to Greenford Road Ltd – a company that acted as debt funder to bring the golf club out of administration in 2022 – to recover its investment.
West Middlesex Golf Club — originally known as Ealing Golf Club — was founded in 1891, making it the oldest golf club in Middlesex. Its 18-hole course was redesigned in 1910 by five-time Open Champion James Braid. Alongside more than 7,000 golfers who played there last year, the clubhouse has hosted weddings, funerals, birthday parties and charity fundraisers for the wider community.
FINANCIAL TROUBLES
The Ealing-based club’s financial troubles date back to 2019, when it went into administration. In January 2022, Greenford Road Ltd stepped in as a debt funder to finance its recovery, taking voting control of the club in the process. Since then, Ealing Council — which owns the freehold — has been locked in litigation with the club over alleged breaches of its lease terms.
To resolve that dispute, the council put forward a three-way settlement between itself, the golf club and GRL. Under the proposal, the club would surrender its existing long lease – which had 75 years left to run from 2001) in exchange for a short-term ‘excluded lease’ lasting only until 30 September 2027 — meaning the club would have no automatic right to remain beyond that date.
The council would then sell a 2.27-acre parcel of the land, including the existing clubhouse and car park, to GRL, which would be free to decide what to do with it. It is understood that this parcel of land is the most attractive for investment as it has access from the road. A further short-term lease over the pavilion area, running from October 2027 to May 2028, could also be granted if GRL requests it.
Council officers considered continuing the litigation against the club as an alternative but did not recommend it, citing the cost, uncertainty and risk involved. The financial terms of the settlement have not been made public, as they are described as commercially sensitive and subject to legal professional privilege.
A club spokesperson for West Middlesex GC said the facility had been “part of the local community for well over a century,” and warned that a decision of this scale should not be taken without proper engagement with the people who use and value it.
CONSULTATION PERIOD
The club has called on the council to defer the proposal and carry out a full consultation before taking what it described as an irreversible step, arguing that a golf club with 135 years of history “cannot simply be recreated” once lost.
The club has said it was not opposed to redevelopment of the area in principle, and supported the council’s longer-term ambitions for the site – its central objection was to the process, not necessarily the eventual outcome.
The council has said all options for the site’s future use will be considered, with the possibility that some or all of the course could form part of the wider West London Regional Park plan. Once the land returns to the council, it will also become responsible for maintenance costs that have not yet been fully assessed.
Current and former members, as well as other supporters are rallying behind the club in an attempt to save it. A petition, Preserve West Middlesex Golf Club for the Community, has so far received over 5,000 signatures.
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