A FUTURISTIC £1 million development will transform Carus Green Golf Club, Kendal, after South Lakeland District Council approved plans for its makeover.

Owner Graham Curtin said the scheme would move the club forward for its 500 members and offer a great facility for the area.

Seven homes will be built and the car park redeveloped along Burneside Road, and Mr Curtin said phased works would begin in the new year.

He added: “It is not just important for the members but in the long term it will help kids starting up and will be a great place to come.

“It offers a new dimension and as the first building people will see, it will be talked about in years to come.”

Golfing in Cumbria is booming and Mr Curtin sees the scheme as a sure-fire way to renew interest in the sport.

He added: “Through the development we can increase participation. It is up to people like myself to encourage others to get into golf and become part of it.”

Members of all ages use the club and the £1 million scheme will be open to the wider community.

Mr Curtin added: “We have to get this right. We have a responsibility to the members and it will be a significant building in Kendal. We will get it up and running as soon as possible.”

The scheme also fits into Cumbria Sports Partnership plans to improve golf in the county, having received funding for four years to get more young people involved in the sport.

Development officer Jo Tinsley said the Cumbria Futures Golf Academy has 10 coaches throughout the county, two based at Carus Green, and the partnership sees it as playing a significant role in the partnership’s future.

She added: “We also have another coach using the facilities at Carus Green, so not only are juniors from the Kendal area benefiting from the excellent facilities at the driving range but also juniors from much further afield who are in the programme.”

The scheme was unanimously passed by SLDC’s planning committee but several conditions, including construction hours, water drainage plans and phasing arrangements, must be adhered to.

Coun David Williams said: “It is wonderful. The current facility has become inadequate and the new scheme is very imaginative.”