Countryside park plan for former golf course

Plans to create a countryside park on part of a former golf course have been announced by council leaders.

Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council revealed 66% of the former Keele Municipal Golf Course in Staffordshire, which closed more than 10 years ago, would be used to create Lyme Park.

It would feature "vast swathes" of woodland and mature trees as well as walking and cycling routes, the authority said.

It would also include Lyme Forest, which was launched in 2023 when trees were planted at the site to mark the 850th anniversary of Newcastle-under-Lyme's first royal charter.

The council said the park would keep the area as a green space for future generations and would include facilities such as car parking for visitors.

The remaining 34% of the 69-hectare (170-acre) golf course has been earmarked for housing under the authority's local plan.

Councillor Simon Tagg, the council's leader, said: "Creating a countryside park at Keele is an exciting prospect.

"Quality, public, open space is recognised as a valuable amenity for people's health and wellbeing, especially since the Covid pandemic, which aligns with the council's priority to create healthy, active and safe communities."

The plans are set to go before the council's cabinet at a meeting next Tuesday.

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