FWP delivers impressive £1.25m Fairhaven clubhouse revamp

The magnificent clubhouse at Fairhaven Golf Course – one of the finest in the North of England – has undergone a £1.25 million refurbishment delivered by Frank Whittle Partnership (FWP).

The 125-year-old Lytham club is now planning an event to celebrate the opening of the impressive new facilities and its milestone anniversary. It will take place when the easing of coronavirus lockdown measures allows.

The 10-month improvement programme, carried out by Blackpool-based contractor Create Construction, includes a new private function suite which can cater for up to 160 guests.

As the designer and main consultant on the project, Preston-headquartered FWP oversaw all aspects of the work at the club – one of the jewels of Lancashire’s famous golf coast. The work took place in four stages to minimise disruption.

It included creating an impressive formal reception area for the club as well as new men’s and ladies’ locker rooms.

Fairhaven’s ground floor dining room has been extended, along with a new bar area. The clubhouse’s first-floor bar has undergone refurbishment, modern office facilities have been created and a first-floor extension now sites over the pro-shop and men’s locker room.

As well as delivering the new facilities, the refurbishment programme addressed major building and maintenance issues. Further improvement work is planned in the future.

David Simmons, associate partner and interior designer, and partner Daniel Thompson led the expert FWP team on the project. David said: “We were brought on board to undertake a radical transformation of the clubhouse.

“Steeped in tradition, the building was in desperate need of modernisation.

“The objective was to appeal to all generations of the membership, which was a particularly challenging element of the brief.

“The work involved all the public areas and we feel that we have succeeded in moving the club into the 21^st Century, while still maintaining its historical importance and its class.

“Quality sits at the heart of our transformation, giving members a five-star hotel experience, through the choice of luxury materials and high-class finishes throughout the clubhouse.

“One of the stand-out design features is an impressive wall space that displays all the club’s honour boards.”

He added: “The new function room was a massively important part of the project. The facility is now one of the best in the area and will allow the club to gain important revenue in the future, for the benefit of its members.

“It meets one of the main aims, which was to give Fairhaven longevity and the ability to operate as a hospitality business as well as a highly-successful golf club.”

The project was not without its challenges. Surveys indicated that the building was in a poorer condition than first thought.

David said: “The FWP project team and Create worked closely with the Fairhaven management to keep disruption to a minimum and the project on track. That collaborative approach and some meticulous planning really were key to the successful delivery.”

Martin Robinson, general manager at Fairhaven, said: “Our members are absolutely delighted with the upgraded facilities.

“Despite not using it much yet because of the coronavirus situation, we are very proud of our first-class clubhouse, which now matches the first- class golf course we have.

“We all feel that the refurbishment has really enhanced everyone’s Fairhaven experience.

“Before lockdown members were super proud to show the clubhouse off to guests and visitors, who were amazed at the very modern golfing experience we can now offer.

“We have plans to celebrate the re-opening of the clubhouse and our 125^th anniversary, as soon as we get back to normal.”

FWP has a strong track record of delivery in the leisure and hospitality sector, including the award-winning design of the clubhouse at Leyland Golf Club in Lancashire, which replaced the original building after it was destroyed by fire.

The leading architect, design and masterplanning practice also has offices in Manchester and London.

FWP is a RIBA practice as well as being CHAS and ISO 9001 accredited.

It offers architecture, M&E design, structural engineering, interior design, building surveying, project management, quantity surveying and CDM consultancy services.