All going well, the first sod will be turned in 2027 on Bellarena Golf Links, Galgorm Collection’s ambitious new project situated on the Lough Foyle estuary in County Derry, and though the deal is yet to be finalised, the course designer is going to be a household name, according to Ross Oliver, Director of Golf at Galgorm Castle.
“We’re currently at the public planning consultation phase, so basically dealing with any queries and any issues from the public,” Oliver said. “They can come and speak to members of our team, and our planners about any issues or just queries they may have on the whole process, but the hope is that that would that would pass well, and then the next phase would be the full planning process, which is probably I think it’s probably like a six-month process.
“So the idea is getting that submitted here in autumn, hopefully that will all be approved by spring next year and then I guess it’ll be time to break ground, which is very exciting.”
The site, situated on the shores of Lough Foyle just north of the River Roe, may appear to be quite flat from a Google Street View standpoint, but Oliver says that the appearances can be deceiving and that there is significant undulation already on hand though
“When you’re actually on the land, you’ll see that there are ancient dunes there as part of it,” he said. “It’s been used as agriculture land for decades, if not centuries, which would have flattened it a little bit. So it would be a case of recreating the dune land that’s already there and then obviously some earthworks to create the dunes and the features that the design team want to do.
“So yeah, there’s a bit of work to be done, but it’s an incredible location on the banks of Lough Foyle with Binevenagh Mountain in the backdrop. It’s incredibly exciting.”
Providing they are able to break ground in 2027, the project is expected to take roughly two years to complete with 2030 being the first full season of operation, and though they are not yet ready to announce the course design team, Oliver suggests that it will be very exciting to be working alongside them.
“All I can say is that, from what I’ve seen, it’s incredibly exciting and the design team that are lined up – it’s a big name obviously – and it’s going to be very, very exciting announcing that, working with them, and seeing the project come to fruition.”
Leave a comment