GEO Certified Independent Verification Report

Transcription

1 Golf Facility: Fairhaven Golf Club Prepared by: Tony Hanson Date: May 2017 Executive Summary This initial verification survey was completed on the 9th May 2017 following the application completion led by Steve Jackson with Martin Robinson (General Manager), Peter Simpson (Course Manager) and James Hutchinson (BIGGA Ecology and Sustainability) on a beautiful spring morning. The site is located at Lytham on the Ribble estuary to the south of Blackpool, and originally formed part of the Lytham Hall Park estate with the course developed in the 1920 s. The attractive clubhouse pre-dates the course and has been adapted and extended over the years to meet the changing player needs, expectations and tournament play. This process of clubhouse development is continuing with a review of existing facilities including the potential for significant refurbishment and possible partial demolition and rebuild to improve usability and to bring the building up to current efficiency standards. The course itself is close to the coast and exhibits both the character associated with traditional links and also the traits of an inland course, including woodland around the borders together with some significant copses providing separation between fairways. Superficially the soil type across the site is brown sand, with a mud stone sedimentary bedrock which during a period of settlement by the Clifton family during the establishment of the Lytham Hall estate was predominantly an area of marsh land. There is still evidence of this marshland heritage within some of the plant colonies found in certain areas of the course even though it has been drained for the last 3 to 400 years. The club has enjoyed continuing success with buoyant membership numbers through a management structure of member representation and committee implemented by the general manager and his team together with the course manager. The collaboration between member representatives and fulltime employees is pleasing to see and has resulted in many of the projects that have benefited the operation of the club as well as the environment. Nature The site at Fairhaven Golf Club does not have any statutory designations, however, the club s location and history have resulted in the site appearing on the register of parks and gardens of special historic interest with the remains of the manor house lying adjacent to the course beyond the practice ground.

2 The club does not host any designated habitat, however it has been noted that there are areas adjacent to the course that have been noted as priority habitat network specifically for woodland. Over the years the club has taken significant steps in the considerate and careful management of the natural environment through a combination of staff knowledge as well as formal consultancy. The efforts made by the club to date have resulted in numerous environmental and ecological awards. The current ecological management plan, submitted as part of the accompanying documentation to support their certification application, is in the process of being implemented and during the course walk there was ample evidence of the various actions on display. The grassing plans at the club comprehensively undertake to balance the needs and aesthetic requirements of the players, whilst ensuring a challenging course to test the abilities of the full range of player abilities playing at the club. Identifying and managing the areas of close mown fairway to reduce man-hours and course inputs is a challenge for every club with the keen desire to ensure that round times do not increase to an unacceptable level. The presentation of the club on the day of the visit was superb, rewarding the good and penalising the poor. The management of the turfgrass creates a challenge given the free draining nature of the surface sands, with areas of marshy, less free draining areas through to full ponds, have clearly benefited from the on-site experience and depth of knowledge available from the course management team. The introduction of winter tees, using recycled materials from the course, has taken some of the pressure off the summer tees, allowing a significant rest and recuperation period allowing them to play at their best through the season. The cultural practices undertaken, in terms of physical management and intervention at the club, have no doubt helped to reduce stress and pest events, and consequently helped to reduce the requirement for chemical interventions which has been noted in the low number of application records reviewed during my visit. The discussions led me to the conclusion that it is clearly the intention of the club, and course management, to provide an attractive and extremely playable course through the use of cultural management, minimising chemical intervention as far as practicable.

3 The club has a number of areas around the course which are potentially sensitive to overspray, and spray drift. The club policy is therefore to operate a buffer zone system, together with certain no spray areas to help prevent the possibility of fugitive fertilisers or pesticides escaping the targeted areas within the course, or beyond its boundaries. As part of this program, the club also ensures that the timings for fertiliser and pesticide operations will maximise efficiency through a preview of weather forecasts and prevailing conditions. The machinery wash down area has benefited from the installation of an EST closed-loop recycling water system, with fertilisers and pesticides mixed on the drainage pad to ensure that no spills are able to escape. Fuels and chemicals are stored in bunded containers, with registers held on and off-site regarding the content of the containers and quantity of fuels stocked in the event of an incident. A compost area has been established to the side of the maintenance buildings, and grass tipping bays have been established at strategic points around the course to allow the clippings to be dumped and collected at a later point for recycling without looking unsightly around the course. Visual water quality testing is undertaken daily, however, the club is in the process of implementing a chemical water testing programme to monitor the water quality coming onto the site and that leaving. Spill kits, closed loop drainage systems, and internal building floors graded to fall to retention channels are in place to prevent fugitive spills and a review of the incident response planning is in place. Resources The clubhouse is connected to mains electricity, gas and sewerage, with the maintenance yard connected to mains electricity, gas but with a septic tank for blackwater. As part of the annual management review the consumption of water, electricity and gas are noted as part of the operational costs, and the figures were provided for the purposes of this survey. Some works have been undertaken to help to reduce the consumption of natural resources, with significant efforts having been made within the kitchen area to upgrade lighting as well as catering equipment. I understand that plans are potentially in place for a more significant refurbishment of the building that will review the possibilities

4 for upgraded lighting, heating, water efficient toilet and shower facilities, together with identifying the potential for renewal and renewable energy opportunities on the building. In the meantime, the club continues to operate an awareness campaign, to encourage staff and players, to turn off unnecessary lighting and also to help reduce heating consumption loads within the building. As part of the broader infrastructure review, there has been some consideration given to the possibility of rainwater recycling, from both roof and car park, for potential use for partial irrigation and toilet flush water. The practicalities of this project will form part of the broader review of the building refurbishments in the coming 6 to 12 months and will be interesting to note any progress in this area at the next verification in The club's current dependence on grid-based energy is being reviewed as part of the wider infrastructure project, and although the club have already taken steps to improve stakeholder awareness and installed the latest LED technologies, there are potential reductions from the forthcoming infrastructure upgrade resulting from the more efficient building. During the survey, it became clear that there had been some discussions regarding the potential for either photovoltaic cells or solar thermal panels on accessible sections of the south facing roof. The club has not had any formal energy audits undertaken, however, they are working with an architect who is clearly well versed in latest technologies and requirements in construction techniques and building efficiency. Additionally, the club could investigate the green energy suppliers as an alternative to on-site renewable energy generation. Fairhaven Golf Club has gone through a process of review of existing suppliers, and are currently implementing and reviewing their environmental purchasing policy as part of a broader environmental policy. The supplier review and appointment process have an environmental consideration embedded within it providing requirements for reviewing potential environmental impacts including local suppliers reduced delivery mileage, quantities of waste and packaging delivered to site amongst other elements. The development of this program is also leading to enhanced waste management and separation of recycled materials to ensure the highest quality recycling when it leaves the site. It will be interesting to see the impact of the updated environmental policies in future.

5 The club has not had any formal or informal waste audits, however, with this close management of the waste elements through the supplier policy, the amount of waste to landfill will decrease over the coming three years. Community The club undertakes a range of activities relating to community inclusion including access and use of the facilities by community groups and for meetings at the main clubhouse. The club is also closely involved with a number charities involved in golf and outside. Employee training and development also includes the opportunity for volunteering outside the club with various communities and engagement projects to the benefit of the wider community. Conclusion I, Tony Hanson, independent accredited verifier, recommend Fairhaven Golf Club to be awarded the GEO Certified ecolabel because the club has undertaken a host of habitat and biodiversity projects including the installation of bug houses and planting of bluebells on the approach. The broader habitat management across the course has included the removal of some rhododendrons, woodland management and thinning, and the reintroduction and management of gorse communities. The current review of infrastructure and technology, as part of the wider clubhouse review, which has the potential to significantly improve the resource efficiency of the building for the next 50 or 60 years. The activities undertaken by the club are on such a broad front and making visible progress in a number of key areas in a very significant way. From the survey, and discussions, it is very clear that their intention is to fulfil the potential and certainly make further significant steps during the next three-year period.