A BRADFORD golf club fears there is a "very real chance" it could close if works are not done to level a valley on its course.

Bradford Council has received a planning application from Clayton Golf Club to alter its land by filling in a valley the clubs says is an accident waiting to happen.

The nine hole course is on a slope, and has a small, steep sided valley on the site that players need to traverse.

The application, submitted on behalf of the club by Minerals and Waste Planning, says this valley has proved a hazard for the club's elderly members.

It says there have been "a number of incidents" over the past two months involving members slipping and falling down the valley.

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It adds: "Fortunately nobody has been badly injured yet but it is only a question of time."

They plan to fill the valley with construction, demolition and excavation waste obtained from waste treatment facilities within Bradford. Around 30,000 metres cubed of waste will be used to level the site over a 16 week period, with the overall operation taking 24 weeks.

The works will involve the felling of 75 trees, but these will all be replaced, with an additional 35 trees also planted.

As well as the valley being dangerous for elderly and disabled members, putting some members off, the application says the layout of the nine hole course makes it difficult to play on, and this has led to many members leaving the club to play on easier courses.

The club was formed in 1906 and currently has 130 members, and the application says that, like many golf clubs, the membership has reduced in recent years with fewer young people joining.

The application says: "The filling in of the valley is critical for the future of Clayton Golf Club. The stark facts are that without it there is a very real chance of the club folding with the likely outcome being that the land will be sold for housing development. The impact of this on the local community will be very significant."

Other reasons for the site to be levelled referred to in the report are to make it easier for the club's only groundskeeper to maintain and to gain some income from taking on the waste.

The application ends: "The club hopes that in improving playability, more members will be attracted who are presently put off by the difficulty of playing the course. The reduction in maintenance costs and the small income derived from the scheme will also enable the club to invest in upgrading the clubhouse facilities and increasing income."

The council will make a decision on the application in August.