A former country club in Bushey could see 165 new homes under the council’s vision for the area.

The 58-acre site that used to be the Bushey Golf and Country Club has been earmarked for housing under Hertsmere Borough Council’s draft Local Plan published today.

The document by the coalition-run council details what sites could see development and investment from now until 2040 as part of its vision for “green, sustainable growth”.

The total number of homes set for Bushey has been reduced from 1,750 under the 2022 Conservative-penned plan to 375 in the latest draft. 

Among those are proposals for up to 165 homes on the council-owned site of the former country club and golf course, which closed in 2018 due to "unsustainable" financial losses.

It has since been leased out as a wedding and events venue before it was partly reopened to the public last autumn.

If developed for housing, the applicant would need to put money aside for a publicly-accessible green space on the site.

The document also includes options for 35 homes on the nearby Kemp Place car park, while a further 35 could be built on the Greenacres estate in Heathbourne Road, which is already subject to a planning application for a 98-room care home.

The Hertsmere Labour website notes that several proposed developments on green belt sites have been removed from the local plan, among those the 310 homes planned for Harts Farm which was shot down by the High Court at appeal in February.

Labour councillor and planning portfolio holder Nik Oakley said: “I think the residents of Bushey will be absolutely thrilled that Compass Park and Harts Farm are not there.

“By and large, we have saved the valuable green belt around Bushey and stopped it spreading into Watford and Elstree.”

The council has set a lower housing target for the area than previously, aiming for 9,396 by 2024 compared to 12,160 under the previous administration.

Daren Nathan, chairman of the Little Bushey Community group, said it was "absolutely right" to focus on building on brownfield sites.

Nathan said that redeveloping the former country club was a "no-brainer", but raised concerns that losing the Kemp Place car park could affect businesses on the High Street.

An extra council meeting is planned for Wednesday, March 20, to discuss the proposals, and a public consultation will launch on April 3 for eight weeks until May 29.