A PORTISHEAD golf course which has been dormant for more than five years is set for a transformation.

More than �250,000 is to be invested in the Nore Road site, following the letting of the lease by North Somerset Council.

Earlier this year, the authority invited potential operators to submit tenders for the concession and it has now been confirmed that the lease, subject to contract, has been awarded to Golf For All Limited for a period of 25 years.

The new operator plans to develop the site to provide a community-based, quality nine-hole golf course, complemented by a teaching facility and small kiosk and shop. The operator has successfully run a similar course in Bournemouth for the past 10 years.

Roderick Watkins of Golf For All said: “We are all very excited about Portishead golf course and we cannot wait to get on site to prepare the course. We want to create a golf facility that is challenging but playable by all levels of golfers, from beginners to experienced players and a course that the town and local area can be proud of.”

Cllr Felicity Baker, North Somerset Council’s executive member responsible for tourism, said: “This is great news and we welcome the investment that the operator will bring to this site.”

The deteriorating golf course had been suggested as a possible site for a wheels park, following the refusal of landlord’s consent for a skatepark at the Lake Grounds. With the lease now allocated for a golf facility, the search for a site for a skatepark in the town will continue.