Approval Given for Isleworth Bowls Club Expansion

Planning officers persuaded that larger facilities were for community use

The existing building at the Park Inn in Isleworth

November 4, 2026

Plans to expand the former Isleworth Bowls Club at Redlees Park have been approved by Hounslow Council officers, allowing the creation of a mini-golf course, clubhouse extension, food kiosk and other new facilities at the site now trading as the Park Inn. The application was approved under delegated powers rather than being referred to the Planning Committee.

The scheme, submitted by White Rock Development Ltd under application P/2026/2054, includes a single-storey extension to the existing clubhouse, a new external courtyard, a miniature golf course, a replacement bowling green, a timber food kiosk, new entrance gates and 1.8-metre-high metal fencing. Officers concluded that the revised proposal would preserve the site's function as a community bowls club and comply with planning policies protecting sports and recreation facilities.

The approval marks a significant turnaround from an earlier version of the scheme that was refused in February this year. At that time, council planners said the applicant had failed to demonstrate how the commercial elements of the proposal would support the community use of the site and raised concerns about potential impacts on neighbouring residents.

According to the delegated report, a revised Travel and Management Plan submitted by the applicant persuaded officers that the additional facilities would remain ancillary to the bowls club rather than representing a broader commercial operation. The report states that the enlarged clubhouse would provide additional seating, the mini-golf course would act as a complementary activity and the food kiosk would operate only during events. Officers also noted that no change of use had been applied for and that any future change from the club's existing lawful community use would require separate planning permission.

Map of Park Inn from planning documents showing proposed new building

The application attracted objections from residents and interested parties, including concerns about the loss of bowling green space, increased noise and disturbance, parking pressures, biodiversity impacts and whether the development would provide genuine community benefits. Seven representations were received following consultation with local residents and community groups.

Officers acknowledged that the development, together with a temporary marquee already permitted on the site, would reduce the area of the existing bowling green. However, they concluded that a replacement bowling green would be provided and that the proposal would continue to support the site's primary recreational function. The report notes that the temporary marquee permission is due to expire in November 2027, at which point the structure must be removed and the land restored to bowls use under existing planning conditions.

To address concerns about neighbours, the council has imposed a series of planning conditions. Opening hours will be restricted to between 9am and 10pm seven days a week, including bank holidays, and live or amplified music will not be permitted in outdoor areas without prior consent from the local authority. A management plan will also be required detailing how events are run and how visitors are managed when arriving and leaving the site.

Questions were also raised over transport impacts. While the applicant submitted a parking stress survey indicating adequate parking availability in the surrounding area, officers identified shortcomings in the methodology and timing of the survey. Approval has therefore been made subject to conditions requiring an updated survey, a travel plan, cycle parking provision and a delivery and servicing plan.

The report also found that the scheme currently falls short of the mandatory 10% Biodiversity Net Gain target, achieving 8.08% based on the submitted calculations. However, officers were satisfied that this shortfall could be addressed through conditions requiring the submission of a Biodiversity Gain Plan and a long-term habitat management programme before the development proceeds.

The site, which has operated as a bowls club since 1934 and lies within the Isleworth Riverside Conservation Area, has been at the centre of wider public interest following questions over a £200,000 Thriving Communities Fund grant intended for a crazy golf project at Redlees Park. The delegated report does not address the funding issue or establish any connection between the approved mini-golf proposal and the grant programme.