A popular driving range is looking to the future after plans that would have seen it turned into offices were withdrawn.

Owner Matt Cousens has invested around £350,000 into Bushey Driving Range, after a new lease with Hertsmere Borough Council secured its future.

Last September, plans were submitted that would have seen the driving range, located on the lower ground floor of Bushey Country Club, turned into office space.

Matt says this deal has given him the peace of mind to invest in improvements to the range.

He said: “As soon as I knew the council had secured our future, it was time to invest in the business knowing we could trust them and use the safety net to push forward.

“We had been renting from a company and had never quite been secure with our future because they kept threatening to do other things with the land."

A council spokesperson has confirmed to the Watford Observer that "there is currently no live application relating to the site."

Money has been invested in new technology, such as state of the art golf simulators and floodlights for the driving range.

The new Trackman technology is part of Matt's investment into the driving range.The new Trackman technology is part of Matt's investment into the driving range. (Image: Matt Cousens) The 32-year-old business owner said: “A lot of restoration has gone into the tech and the food and drink experience and in the next few weeks we’ll be adding heated bays for the winter.

“We’ve got a restaurant upstairs, so people can come hit balls and then have a bite to eat.”

As well as owning the business, Matt is a Professional Golf Association (PGA) licensed coach with 14 years of experience.

He wants to stress that the range is open to everyone, saying: "You don’t have to be a golfer, you can be a total beginner and have a great time with us. There’s no dress code, there’s none of the ‘stuffiness’ you might associate with golf.

“The driving range has become part of me, it’s my life and I think people appreciate having that familiar friendly face. I’ve had people saying coming to the range is like going to their local pub, which is just a lovely feeling".