Plans for a golf resort and 1k homes could only happen if Bolton is awarded the Ryder Cup – the developer wants to start work anyway

A developer intends to start ‘limited work’ on a controversial £240m project to build a Ryder Cup golf complex and more than 1,000 new homes. Peel Land has planning permission to develop the Hulton Park scheme, but only if Bolton is awarded the right to host the tournament in 2035.

But delays to the selection process for a location for the glitzy international golf competition mean the clock is ticking on the developer’s current plans. Peel’s current planning permission expires in October this year.

The developer intends to begin some limited works to keep that permission ‘live’.

They include the construction of a ceremonial driveway at the site ‘for the benefit of existing tenants’. A deed of variation on the plans is to go before Bolton council’s planning committee on Thursday, January 30.

The intention by Peel is to vary the current planning permission so that ‘limited works’ could be carried out without a decision on the Ryder Cup venue being made. The document to be put before the committee, said: “At the time of the Hulton Park planning permission, it was envisaged that the decisions on the selection of the venues and the award of hosting rights for the 2031 and 2035 Ryder Cups would be made in 2023 or 2024.

“This followed the selection of the Hulton Park site as a short-listed candidate venue by UK Sport and Ryder Cup in 2021. “Due to circumstances outside the applicants’ control, the process has been delayed without a clear indication of when this matter would be clarified.

“The Government will consider the case for securing the Ryder Cup during 2025. “It is extremely unlikely that the selection process for the 2035 Ryder Cup will be concluded to enable the permission to be commenced prior to the expiry of the