To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will introduce regulations or issue advice to local councils, restricting the proliferation of golf courses on green belt in environmentally sensitive areas.

Advice on golf courses is contained in planning policy guidance notes 17 and 7 published in September 1991 and January 1992 respectively. These supplement the longstanding advice on development in green belts in planning policy guidance note 2. Golf courses should be located and designed to ensure harmony with the surrounding countryside and to conserve the natural environment. Local planning authorities should take special care when considering applications in green belts.