A former golf course is among 75 sites which a council has deemed appropriate to build on to help meet Government housing targets.

Nearly 200 homes have been earmarked for the site on the outskirts of Garston, formerly known as Penfold Park Golf Club.

The nine-hole course off the A405 shut in 2016 and later became a footgolf venue, but this has since closed as well.

According to a list of sites published by Three Rivers District Council, green belt land north of Bucknalls Lane is capable of taking 190 homes, along with open space and play space.

The land runs alongside the A405 dual carriageway and is bordered by the Waterdale Waste Recycling Centre and Bricket Wood to the north, and homes to the east and south, with the M1 motorway close by as well.

Watford Observer: Circled is the former golf course that has been earmarked for 190 homes in Three Rivers District Council's local plan. Credit: Google MapsCircled is the former golf course that has been earmarked for 190 homes in Three Rivers District Council's local plan. Credit: Google Maps

It's one of two golf courses currently under consultation with the council; the other being Batchworth Golf Course in Rickmansworth, where a much greater 618 homes have been suggested.

According to a letter sent out recently by the council's deputy leader Stephen Giles-Medhurst, the council has been tasked by the Government to find space for 12,624 new homes in Three Rivers by 2038.

Initially, 312 sites across the district were put forward by landowners and developers for consideration in the council's local plan. This list has been whittled down to 75 by the council after every site was scrutinised to see whether development is suitable.

Sites include huge swathes of green belt land, garage sites, station car parks, other bits of brownfield land, and smaller areas of green belt land spread right across the district.

The list of 75 sites has been out for consultation for a few weeks now and it has merited a significant response from residents, with the council coming under-fire.

Last week, as many as 500 locals gathered in a field in Carpenders Park calling for the green belt to be protected with around 1,500 homes, a secondary school, and potentially two primary schools earmarked for the area.

Related: Hundreds join protest in bid to save green belt from development

Watford Observer: Some of the residents on August 10 in a field off Oxhey Lane that is threatened by the development of nearly 500 homes. They are all holding posters which say 'Can't replace green space'. Credit: Ian BushnellSome of the residents on August 10 in a field off Oxhey Lane that is threatened by the development of nearly 500 homes. They are all holding posters which say 'Can't replace green space'. Credit: Ian Bushnell (Image: Ian Bushnell)

And a petition, backed by several resident associations and more than 1,700 residents across Three Rivers, calls for the council to scrap its local plan. The district is 74 per cent green belt.

Campaigners claim the district needs approximately 4,800 new homes over the fifteen-year period the local plan covers, with some calling for the council to fight the Government on its housing targets.

Related: 'The targets are overstated' - hundreds sign petition to protect greenbelt

It comes after the latest Housing Delivery Test result published by the Secretary of State in February 2020 showed Three Rivers scored 41 per cent, meaning the council had failed to deliver on its housing targets since 2017 by some margin.

Matthew Bedford, the Liberal Democrat councillor leading the council's local plan process, told the Observer the council is fighting back on its targets.

He said: "The council is as concerned as residents about the level of housing the Government is expecting to be built in Three Rivers, and we are continuing to push back against the Government's calculation for future housing need.

"We know that more recent projections from the Office for National Statistics in 2018 would result in lower numbers for Three Rivers. Unfortunately the Government explicitly decided in December that councils would not be allowed to use more recent projections and must continue to base their plans on the 2014 data, even though it is out-of-date."

He added: "We still have a long way to go with the local plan process. Once we review and analyse the results of the current consultation, the list of sites may be adjusted and there will be a further round of public consultation towards the end of this year before a public inquiry in the second half of next year."

The latest local plan consultation runs until August 20. Visit https://www.threerivers.gov.uk/egcl-page/new-local-plan