MacKenzie Club-Aberdeen

Council deal for new-look

Hazlehead collapses

FROM THE FRONT PAGE OF TODAY'S PRESS & JOURNAL
By CALUM ROSS
Aberdeen City Council announced last night that multi-million-pound plans to redevelop an historic local golf course have collapsed.
The local authority blamed the global recession for the failure to seal a deal which would have transformed the municipal Hazlehead golf course into a £24million leisure complex.
The project is the second major North-east golf development to be bunkered by the economic downturn.
The firm behind plans for a Jack Nicklaus-designed course at Ury Estate near Stonehaven went into administration in February.
The region's drive to become a global golf tourism hub now appear to rest with Donald Trump's £1billion development at Balmedie to the north of the city and the Paul Lawrie-led £115million scheme at Blairs College, near Aberdeen on the south side of the River Dee.
Opponents of moves to privatise Hazlehead golf course hailed news of the deal's collapse as a "victory for people power."
But Brian Hendry (pictured above), who had been heading the MacKenzie Club consortium, said he was "surprised" by the timing of the council's annoucement, which followed months of negotiations aimed at securing a 99-year lease on the three courses at Hazlehead.
Talks between council officials and the consortium broke down last week.
A proposal remained on the table which would have seen the consortium revamp the No 1 course over three years at its own expense.
But local authoriry officials ruled out such a move.
Councillors will instead consider a report on the future of the municipal Hazlehead golf courses, which recommends transferring them to the control of an arm's-length trust.
Council leader Kate Dean said: "It is regrettable that the MacKenzie Club has been forced to take this decision after so much hard work ont heir part and by our own officers, who had put enormous energy into trying to make this ambitious scheme work.
The council leader stressed: "We always said we would only go ahead with the redevelopment after the closest possible scrutiny by the council and by our external advisers to make sure it offered the best value for the council and a good deal for citizens and local golfers.
"We gave it every chance to succeed - so long as the MacKenzie Club was able to come up with the financial assurances we needed.
"Sadly, and through no fault of their own, that proved to be impossible."
The MacKenzie Club - the Hazlehead No 1 course was designed and contructed in 1926-27 at considerable cost to the then Aberdeen Town Council by Dr Alistair MacKenzie who went on to design Augusta National, the home of the US Masters - was supposed to include a luxury 50-bed hotel, a gold academy, a new clubhouse, lodges and an equestrian centre.
A source close to the consortium claimed last night that the collapse of the deal had been due to the local authority "moving the goalposts," rather than a failure to find financial backing."