Former Ladies European Tour
pro golfer Adrienne Engleman fears she
will lose her driving range business and potentially her home when construction
of a new town starts.
Adrienne has worked at
Cambridge Golf Club in Longstanton for more than 20 years on and off, and four
years ago spent £100,000 refurbishing the driving range – when she was under
the impression she would be helped to relocate when Northstowe is built on the
land.
The new driving range was
constructed so it could be dismantled and rebuilt elsewhere, but the move would
cost up to £60,000, and Ms Engleman believed developer Gallagher Estates would
be prepared to help with this.
Now Gallagher, which
wants to put the first phase of the new town on the golf course, has said no
assistance will be available, and no offer was ever made.
This leaves Ms Engleman,
41, facing financial ruin – because the loan which bankrolled the renovation
was secured against the value of her home.
Construction of
Northstowe, the biggest new town in the UK since Milton Keynes, is expected to begin
late this year or early next year.
Ms Engleman, who played
on the LET in the 90’s said: “I’m incredibly worried, not only about my future,
but about the future of golf in this area.
“Cambridge Golf Club was
the cheapest golf club in a county which has no municipal golf courses – every
other county has got local authority courses that are accessible to all
golfers.
“They can’t go anywhere
else because they can’t afford anywhere else.”
She argued a golf
facility in the area would be valuable for Northstowe residents.
Ms Engleman added:
“Potentially I’m about to lose my job, my livelihood and even my home because I
had to use it as security for my loan.”
Alan Joyner, executive
director of Gallagher, said planning permission for the driving range had been
on a temporary basis and had now expired.
He said: “It’s very
unfortunate but the golf driving range operator must have known what the
situation was all along and it’s not our business to fund the relocation.”
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