Plans to build a major holiday resort with more than 100 lodges and a 50-bedroom spa hotel on a former golf course in West Sussex have been approved by the local district council.
The plans for Foxbridge Golf Course, in Plaistow, near Billingshurst, were given the go-ahead at a Chichester District Council planning committee meeting held on April 15.
The 9-hole golf course, which first opened in 1992, ceased golf operations in 2019 and the land has remained unused since that time.
An application for the plans was first submitted in 2022 but was delayed until now by rules surrounding water use, which have since become irrelevant.
The developer, The Substantia Group, is now seeking to construct a wellbeing and leisure complex made up of 121 holiday lets and a spa with accommodation for 50 guests. The former clubhouse would also be converted into a farmhouse and restaurant.
The district council’s economic development service also strongly supported the application, noting the development would provide a type of accommodation underrepresented in the Chichester district.
A spokesman for the service added: “The EDC often speaks to hoteliers and hotel managers around the area; the vast majority say that they don’t have enough bed space capacity for the demand. This application would help to serve some of the demand in the district for high end accommodation.”
The development is expected to create 114 jobs and capture a larger share of the district’s overnight visitor spending.