Whittington Heath plans to cope with high speed train running through middle of course/clubhouse

 

An artist's impression of how the new high speed rail link from London will biset the Whittington Heath golf course near Birmingham

 

By Adam Lawrence (Golf Course Architecture Journal)

Whittington Heath Golf Club, in Staffordshire, has announced that it has been granted planning permission for a set of works that will allow the club to continue operation when the HS2 high speed railway line is built. 
The club had been under threat as the route for HS2, which will link London with the north of England, passes straight through the clubhouse and several golf holes.
The club has acquired 25 hectares of land adjacent to its existing site on the north-east side, and is working with golf architect Jonathan Gaunt to plan the move.
Five entirely new holes are planned to be located on the new land, while four additional new greens will be constructed on the existing site to create a new-look 18-hole course.
The new ground is currently farmed, but is essentially denatured lowland heath, with sandy subsoil underneath the topsoil that is the creation of many years of manuring and fertilising. Whittington has come to an arrangement with HS2 that will see the new land returned to a heathland state, as part of the rail project’s commitment to mitigate losses elsewhere. HS2 will also provide ongoing funds to assist with maintenance for 15 years.
Construction of the new holes is expected to start in spring 2017. HS2 construction is anticipated to begin in 2018, and the club is determined to maintain 18 playable holes throughout the process.
Whittington Heath staged the first Senior Women's Home Internationals in 2003