A hole is forever: could become the motto of Bracknell Forest, a large green area in Berkshire, England. In fact, the first green light has arrived for the transformation of part of the golf course located in the municipal territory into a cemetery.
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Cemetery and golf
In a few months, the fairways will be replaced by tree-lined paths. Where there was grass there will be white gravel and where a Titleist was holed out, flowers will be brought to those who lived in those parts. No one will shout out. In fact: no one will shout anything at all.
The body that manages Bracknell Forest (a geographical area including the towns of Bracknell, Sandhurst, Crowthorne and Binfield) has given the green light to the project to convert the area dedicated to pitch and putt of the Downshire Golf Complex into a new area for those who pass away. Bureaucratically speaking, we are talking about the project to expand the cemetery structure of Easthampstead Park.
The current structure, with the current trend, will reach saturation by mid-2025. This explains the need to find areas at zero cost and easily buildable. When fully operational, the two hectares of pitch and putt will change destination, becoming 1,173 complete lots, 150 lots for Muslim burials and 1,168 spaces to contain the urns of those who choose cremation. According to estimates, this will satisfy the need for tombs and the like for the next 25-30 years.
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Few have thought about the needs of golfers. The Bracknell Forest authority was informed of the matter by the Bracknell council in November and now the project can soon return to the agenda of the municipal administration. Adding insult to injury, since these are public lands and given the (public) purpose of the intervention, no type of compensation is foreseen for the golf club.
The anti-cemetery committee
So those who play at the Downshire Golf Complex will have to resign themselves to losing the pitch and putt area. No mulligan for the committee formed in defense of the club, that is, about 400 people including residents or golfers. More than a hundred children practice in that area every year, there are people who started golfing right there the committee members told the BBC.
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The administrations response was icy: just go four miles and play at Wokingham Family Golf, the Golfplex or Lavender Park.
