Polo club land subject to planning application for 700 homes

Plans to build up to 700 new homes and a new primary school on land at the Dallas Burston Polo Club near Southam have been submitted to Stratford District Council this week.
Entrance to the The Dallas Burston Polo Club near SouthamEntrance to the The Dallas Burston Polo Club near Southam
Entrance to the The Dallas Burston Polo Club near Southam

An application was given to the council’s planning committee on Monday as part of a massive £122 million development for the 600-acre site on Southam Road.

The plans also include a local centre comprising a neighbourhood store and office space, a 100-bedroom hotel, 99 extra-care units and an 80-bed care home with a dementia unit.

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If given the go-ahead, it would also see the creation of pedestrian and cycle access to provide links between the site and Southam on the A425 and Welsh Road West.

These latest plans from IXL Events Ltd – the owners of the Dallas Burston Polo Club – form part of a 12-year plan for the venue, which was announced last year.

Maj Richard Carney MBE, general manager of IXL Events Ltd, said: “We are delighted that this next phase of our £122 million development at the Dallas Burston Polo Club has taken a major step forward this week.

“This application reinforces our commitment to the region and our understanding of what is required both locally and nationally, such as a need for more primary school places and measures to address the shortage of affordable housing.

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“Also across the UK, hundreds of thousands of families are touched by dementia every year and we feel it is incredibly important to include a care facility in our plans which will provide much-needed relief and support to those families affected by dementia within our local community.

“We believe that this is an incredible development, not just for the business but also for the town and the people of Southam.

“It will also create hundreds of skilled and unskilled jobs locally as well as helping to boost the region’s economy.”

The development will also include the creation of 100 luxury lodges and a new ‘Player’s Pavilion’ which opens next month.

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The pavilion features a bar, restaurant and viewing terraces to watch polo matches.

“If planning permission is granted, the new development will not affect any events at the club or the space for the polo,” added Major Carney.

“This development has been designed to complement the existing facilities already here at the Dallas Burston Polo Club.”

The grounds are also home to the IXL Events Centre, the 2.4-acre all-weather SuperArena, six polo grounds and the colonial clubhouse.

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The venue plays host to a number of polo matches – including last weekend’s prestigious Victor Ludorum – and the annual Ladies Day, Fine & Country Polo Day and Polo in the Park, all of which are growing in attendance year-on-year.

Residents living near the Polo Club have objected to the application on grounds including loss of agricultural land and increased noise and traffic pollution.