L'Ancresse golf course could be run as a municipal links
GOLF clubs have until the end of the year to agree to terms for a new L'Ancresse lease or the Vale Commons Council will look into alternative arrangements for 2016 onwards – including making the course municipal – it has said.
A briefing paper has been released by the council's working party about how the 740 vergees of land should be maintained over the next 25 years.
It includes contracting Environment Guernsey at a cost of £60,000 a year to manage the land in a more environmentally friendly way and inviting island-wide livestock owners to let their animals graze there.
But to pay for it the working party has estimated it will need to raise £160,000 a year – £35,000 to be raised from sporting events, £45,000 from the States and £80,000 to be paid by the L'Ancresse and Royal Guernsey Golf Clubs as part of a 25-year lease.
'What we have said is that we really need to know by the end of 2014 whether they want to go along with that or they don't', he said working party member Roger Dadd.
'If they do, it will probably take about six months to get agreements and terms in place.
'If they don't, then we will have two years to start looking at options.'
