BASINGSTOKE Golf Club members have paved the way for more than 1,000 new homes to be built on the site after agreeing to sell their land.

More than 75 per cent of the club’s 700 members have agreed to sell the club site, which is off the A30 – a move that will allow developers to put in a bid for the land.

The 43.4 hectares has been included in the borough’s draft core strategy – a document that outlines which greenfield sites the council will promote for development between now and 2026.

Of the 9,500 homes proposed to be built in that time, more than 3,000 are planned for greenfield sites – and 1,050 of those have been earmarked for Basingstoke Golf Club.

Had members decided against selling, it would have caused a major headache for the borough’s planning chiefs, who would have had to come up with new sites to take those homes.

The vote took place on November 28, when 77 per cent of members backed the sell-off.

New club John Hiscock, manager at Basingstoke Golf Club, said a new club would need to be provided for members as part of any deal, and that members could also make a financial gain on top.

He told The Gazette: “I can confirm we had a meeting of the members and they have voted in favour of going to the council and saying they have agreed for it to be included in the development plan.

“We do not know if it will be included, and probably won’t know until 2012. The golf club has been in existence since 1907 and it’s been on this site since 1928 – so it’s been around a long time. We will now wait and see what happens.”

Councillor Rob Golding, Cabinet member for planning, infrastructure and transport, said: “It is very important that we continue to move towards having an approved planning blueprint for how the borough will develop in the future.

“If we do not, then every community is left open to development on sites chosen by developers, not the council. As land at Basingstoke Golf Course has been earmarked as a possible site for 1,050 new homes, the vote by members represents a significant step forward in that process.”

The council will agree its core strategy next year.