‘Odd’ signs for a hotel on Potters Bar Golf Course taken down

The pouch under the sign contains slips of paper asking you to contact Hertsmere Borough Councillor Paul Hodgson-Jones. Picture: Robin Short (Image: Archant)

Boards showing hotel plans on the site of the former Potters Bar Golf Course have appeared across the town.

The signs, which have since been removed, have been put forward as an alternative idea to building new homes on the land.

Currently, the site is advocated by a developer under the draft Local Plan as PB2, and cited for 570 homes and a nine-hole golf course.

But David Jay and Ashok Patel of Golfwatch residents group, Simon Lester CEO of Lester Hotels and Hertsmere Conservative borough councillors Paul Hodgson Jones and Abhishek Sachdev are instead canvassing opinions to turn the golf course into a 150 to 200 bedroom hotel with banqueting facilities for 300, and relocate the library and Elm Court Community Centre, and a bike park on the site.

Cllr Hodgson-Jones said: “The original plan for retaining the site for community use was put forward by us in our in-touch leaflet in March of last year.

“Since then we have had regular discussions with various local groups. It was from these discussions that the alternative proposal now being presented evolved.

“Naturally these proposals have our full support as being a far better solution for the benefit of the whole town.”

Since the signs have been put up, Potters Bar residents have been left puzzled. Local resident Robin Short said they are flimsy, could fall and injure passers by or children, the leaflet pouch under the sign poses a coronavirus risk and the sign is potentially unauthorised flyposting.

And Potters Bar Furzefield councillors Christian Grey and Chris Myers have said the signs seem “odd” when there has been no discussion at the council level and no feasibility studies done to see if Potters Bar needs another hotel.

The two Labour councillors argue that looking at the other sites in Potters Bar, the golf course makes the most sense as it would mean less damage to the Green Belt.

Cllr Grey said: “This is the very heart of Potters Bar and would boost the high street and there would be no need for parking as its very close to public transport.”

However they will wait to make a decision on which site to put forward under the draft Local Plan until formal discussions begin.