The Rayleigh Club
Welcome
The Rayleigh Club vision includes up to 200 new homes on the current driving range site, as well as a new irrigation system for the South Course, the relocation and expansion of the existing driving range, a new training academy, professional shop, East Course redesign, the relocation of maintenance facilities and the Club House extension and refurbishment.
Boundary plan for housing site, professional shop and green keeping facilities:
We want to work with the local community to ensure your views and contributions help shape the proposals. This website will be the focus of our ongoing public consultation. Please register for updates so you are kept up to date and stay informed as the consultation and planning application progress. If you require hard copies of the exhibition materials and survey, please contact us.
We hosted a drop-in exhibition on Thursday 29th January 2026 at The Rayleigh Club, between 3pm and 8pm. At this event there was an opportunity for people to meet members of the development team, explore the proposals and ask questions. There was a further opportunity for residents to share their comments and suggestions via our survey questionnaire which could have been completed at the exhibition, subsequently by post, or online on this website. The public exhibition has now closed.
The public exhibition panels are uploaded on this website at the button below and the consultation was live until Sunday 15th February, 2026. It is now closed.
About
The Rayleigh Club, formerly known as Hanover Golf Club and subsequently Lords Golf and Country Club, was established in 1990 in the heart of the Rochford District, Essex. Since its inception, the club has been under the stewardship of three family owners. The most recent chapter in The Rayleigh Club’s history began in January 2013, when Mr. Jamie Saitch acquired the property, marking the start of a new era of strategic investment and development.
Today, The Rayleigh Club stands as one of Essex’s premier golfing destinations, comprising a driving range, an 18-hole members course, and an 18-hole public pay-and-play course.
Our proposals
- Relocation and expansion of the driving range which will include 20 fully refurbished practice bays and state-of-the-art golf ball tracking technology,
- New training academy which will be one of the most advanced and inclusive golf education facilities in the region, providing opportunities for juniors, beginners and elite players,
- New professional shop,
- New irrigation system for the South course,
- East course redesign,
- Relocation of maintenance facilities,
- Club House extension and refurbishment which will significantly increase seating capacity, doubling the available space to approximately 80 seats,
- Up to 200 homes on the current driving range site, which will be re-located,
- A mix of housing, reflecting council policy and local identified housing needs,
- There will be a new vehicular access off Hullbridge Road, which will be separate to the existing club entrance,
- In line with Rochford District Council policy, 50% of houses will be affordable, including affordable rent and shared ownership,
- There will be landscaped greenspace, with Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) of at least 10% to be achieved,
- The site will be 15 acres (6.07 hectares).
The consultation process
We are committed to working with the local community to achieve the highest quality new development in Rayleigh. We want to hear your views on the proposals as we work towards submitting an outline planning application.
We have now concluded our initial consultation with the local community. The consultation included the Thursday 29th January drop-in exhibition to give you the opportunity to hear more about the proposals, ask questions and provide feedback. There was also a survey questionnaire for you to give your thoughts and suggestions, which was open until Sunday, 15th February 2026.
For those people unable to attend the exhibition, the boards have been uploaded onto this website to provide a virtual exhibition for the public and other stakeholders.
If you would like a hard copy of the exhibition boards, please contact us below and we will send them by post, together with a reply-paid envelope for your use.
Your feedback is important as it will help us shape the proposals ahead of the planning application submission, which will most likely be in the summer of 2026.
Once we have completed the public consultation, considered the public and stakeholder comments received and amended our plans accordingly, we will be submitting outline planning application to Rochford District Council. The consultation response will form part of the Statement of Community Involvement (SCI), which will be submitted as part of the planning application.
Register for updates
Please register your email below for automatic updates on the site’s development.
Please see our Privacy Statement for information.
Chelgate Local collects some personal information on behalf of The Rayleigh Club when you register on this website or lodge comments about the proposed development. By completing this form you agree to Chelgate processing your data and sending you information (if you have provided an email address) about the project on behalf of The Rayleigh Club.
Under the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2000, we have a legal duty to protect any personal information we collect from you. We will only use personal information you supply us for the reason that you provided it for. We will only hold your information for as long as necessary to fulfil that purpose. We will not pass your information to any other parties. All employees and contractors who have access to your personal data, or are associated with the handling of that data, are obliged to respect your confidentiality. If you have any concerns please contact our Data Protection Officer on 020 7939 7950 or Data@chelgate.com.
Contact
Contact us on 020 7939 7950
For further information or to request hard copies of the survey please call our helpline number or e-mail planning@chelgate.com
New golf driving range, view back from the range
New golf driving range, view from the side pathway
New professional shop and training academy