Golf course to close after wayward balls damage 800-year-old barn
A seaside council is forcing a golf course to close because wayward balls have damaged a nearby historic building.
Torre Abbey pitch-and-putt has been a popular tourist attraction in Torquay, Devon, for decades. Now, Torbay council has said the nine-hole course will shut down in November, to be repurposed and “returned to community use”.
The course is in front of Torre Abbey and its medieval barn – and in January a report found that errant golf balls had caused thousands of pounds of damage to the 800-year-old barn’s roof.
In response, more than 800 people have signed a petition urging the council to reverse its decision, claiming the closure could result in a “significant reduction in tourism facilities and revenue”.
A Mills, the petition author, wrote: “I, along with many others, locals and tourists alike, have enjoyed the pleasure of using the facilities of the Torre Abbey Pitch and Putt.
“This amenity, open for over 60 years, is literally the last public amenity to enjoy in Torquay. The pitch-and-putt has been lovingly maintained for many years and really gives something to the community.”
Nicholas Parkin, the manager at the course, said: “This is a sad and poor decision by Torbay council, to get rid of such a lovely facility and attraction.”
He also cast doubt on the council’s claims, saying: “[Several] years ago we restructured the layout of the course to make sure no golf shots get played towards the Spanish barn or Torre Abbey at all, on any hole.”
The report argued that the council should review the course’s contract to see if it was the best use of land considering the “ongoing damage” to the barn and repair costs.
Thirty-one holes in roof
In 2022, a freedom of information (FoI) request revealed that Torbay council was facing a bill of £20,000 for 31 holes created in the barn’s roof by golf balls. It followed a £12,618 repair in 2017 to address other damage created by golf balls.
The Grade I-listed barn, built about 1200, is known as the Spanish barn because it housed Spanish Armada prisoners in the 16th century.
Torbay council was last year involved in a row about damage to tourist attractions after a what it later admitted was a “catalogue of errors” led to the felling of 40 palm trees on the town’s seafront.
A Torbay council spokesman said: “The recommendation has been carefully considered by the council, looking at how the pitch-and-putt land can be repurposed and returned to community use [and] how the entire site can be better managed to protect its scheduled monument status.
“[We must consider] how restoration projects can move forward in line with legal obligations and funding requirements and how income generation opportunities can be maximised to support a financially sustainable future for Torre Abbey.”