LEISURE

The 198 acres Kirkby Valley Golf Club, formally known as Liverpool North, is situated in Kirkby, Knowlsey. The site is set within mature trees and is bisected by the River Alt which runs diagonally from the North-West to the South-East boundary and is enveloped by the railway, Aintree Lane, Valley Road dual carriageway, the M57 and abuts Ingoe Lane which is a Conservation Area.

Notably, views into and out of the conservation area are very restrictive as a result of the existing, mature landscape boundary. Albeit the site has restricted access from Valley Road and falls within the Greenbelt and Ecological corridor. The proposed master plan development consisted of a new Golf Clubhouse, driving range, adventure golf, maintenance compound, tennis courts, 5-a-side football pitches, bowling green, golf training academy, golf course, car parking and associated landscaping.

Although, the main focus is to re-develop and improve the existing golf course by re-routing, reconfiguring, and reshaping the golf course experience creating a superior, aesthetically sculptured, and challenging layout.

Three main design challenges to overcome with such a large-scale development was tominimise impact upon the Greenbelt, to preserve the existing wildlife present on site and to improve the overall land drainage avoiding excessive ponding. With this in mind, the design layout of the Golf Club facilities and car parking development has been orientated towards Valley Road, to be visible from the public realm and providing views into the Greenbelt corridor, simultaneously avoiding a development sprawl onto the openness of the visual qualities of the land.

To encourage species diversity the proposal sees a net gain of over 8 hectares of new woodland, grassland, planting and two lakes to compensate the loss of existing poor-quality planting and the installation of improved land drainage will be generally installed along with irrigation to ensure excess water is dissipated correctly.

All facilities proposed vary in height from single to two storey minimising visual impact and the materials used mirror the local architectural language. In all the development showcases the required expertise to navigate Greenbelt development, creating a harmonious leisure development that respects the natural environment and ensure future viability of the Golf Club as a whole.