Ikast-Brande council to review 15 golf course disputes

Ikast-Brande Municipal Council will decide on Monday how to handle 15 issues involving the development of Ikast Golf Club, DR reports. In most cases, the club has already made changes without obtaining the necessary approval.

The golf course, which has been located on a protected glacial hill since the 1990s, is being developed into a golf resort intended to rank among Denmark’s best. The plans include a hotel and conference centre, as well as a private home for course owner Jens Poulsen.

The changes to the course have prompted most of the disputes. The municipality believes protected Section 3 nature has been removed from the glacial hill. Golf club chairman John Kristensen disputes that assessment.

“I would argue that it no longer had any value, and we have played golf in that area since the beginning in 1990. It is not land we have stolen; it is land we have always played on,” he said.

The Danish Society for Nature Conservation, which alerted the municipality to the problems, says the changes were so systematic that they should not be approved retrospectively.

“They have deliberately and systematically run red lights, failed to engage in dialogue and ignored the rules. In our best assessment, it is directly illegal and cannot justify a dispensation,” said Lars Midtiby, the organisation’s director.

The 15 issues

1. A road has been built and the terrain raised by 12 metres

The developer has built a temporary road approximately 350 metres long across the slope of the protected glacial hill. The road has been raised by 12 metres. Poulsen wants to make it permanent as an access road to his new home. It runs through a Section 3-protected heathland area, and the municipal administration believes the application cannot be approved.

2. A stormwater basin is planned

The golf club wants to build a basin to collect and delay rainwater from the existing construction road, which the club wants to make permanent. The basin has not yet been built. The municipal administration believes the project cannot be approved.

3. A construction road across the slope

A construction road and associated terrain adjustments have been established across the slope of the glacial hill. The club wants to retain them for a maximum of three years. The municipal administration will grant temporary permission.

4. A temporary construction site

The terrain on the slope of the glacial hill has been adjusted to create a temporary storage area, sorting facility and screening fence connected to the new villa. The municipal administration will grant temporary permission.

5. A small gravel pit

A four-metre-deep gravel pit has been created on a historic meltwater plain to extract raw materials for the work. The Central Denmark Region approved the pit on condition that the original shape was restored, but the municipality has not approved it. The municipal administration will grant temporary permission.

6. A lake is planned after the gravel extraction

Once the extraction of raw materials is complete, the golf club wants to turn the area into a 4,000-square-metre lake. The municipal administration recommends rejecting the proposal.

7. A new tee has been built

The golf club has built a new tee beside the clubhouse by cutting into the slope of the glacial hill. The municipality estimates that the terrain has been adjusted between minus 1.4 metres and plus 4.6 metres. The tee is within the golf club’s designated building area. The municipal administration will not approve it.

8. The course has gained two lakes and a tunnel path

On the golf course itself, the terrain has been lowered by approximately 2.5 metres to the level of two established lakes, which are separated by a tunnel path. The municipal administration will approve this.

9. Another tee has been built

Another tee has been constructed as a terrace with stone-covered retaining walls. Its height ranges from approximately minus 1.0 metre to plus 4.1 metres. The municipal administration will approve this.

10. A construction site is to become an events area

A plateau of approximately 2,200 square metres has been created on the golf course as a storage area for construction materials. The golf club wants to convert it for events and other functions. The municipal administration will approve this.

11. A small island has been built for a tee

The club has built a tee on a platform of approximately 250 square metres in an existing lake. A bridge to the tee has also been built. The municipal administration will approve this.

12. A new platform for a toilet building

The golf club has built an 81-square-metre platform for a new toilet building to replace an older building elsewhere on the course. The new building will be approximately 3.5 metres high and have a roof overhang of three metres on all sides, making the roof the same size as the platform. The municipal administration will approve this.

13. One thousand square metres of protected nature became golf course

The club has incorporated approximately 1,000 square metres of protected natural grassland into the golf course. The municipal administration will not approve this.

14. Seven hundred and seventy square metres of heath became a path and golf course

The club has adjusted the terrain and incorporated 770 square metres of protected heathland, which is now used as a path and golf course. The municipal administration will not approve this.

15. A new green