CAMPAIGNERS calling for the rewilding of two council-owned golf courses look likely to get their way with one course at least.

Environmentalists greeted councillors with a samba band outside Hove Town Hall before a meeting when they called on Brighton and Hove City Council to “rewild now”.

Labour and Green councillors backed the “rewilding” of Waterhall when the council’s tourism, equalities, communities and culture committee met last week.

The committee was told a community interest company wanted to take on the site.

Members recommended colleagues on the policy and resources committee opt for rewilding at Hollingbury – or at least encourage an element of rewilding if the golf course there remains in play.

The policy committee is due to make the final decision on Thursday.

If the council receives no viable bids to run Hollingbury, Green councillors said the site should be rewilded and they asked for annual reports into the rewilding process.

The debate came up because the council’s ten-year contract with Mytime Active, the current operator of both golf courses, expires at the end of March.

Three petitions were presented to the committee, with golfers from each course aiming to preserve them.

The third petition came from Extinction Rebellion (XR) environmental campaigners. All asked for a pause in proceedings.

Chartered environmental scientists Ben Benatt spoke on behalf of Extinction Rebellion whose petition for rewilding attracted 5,336 signatures.

He told the committee the proposed 25-year leases would be too long.

Mr Benatt said: “Let’s seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Business as usual is not an option. This is an emergency. We need to act now.”

Hollingbury golfer Matt Shimmans said there were many misconceptions about golf being a minority game for the rich.

The number of season ticket holders at Hollingbury had improved in the past year.

In 2010 there were 461 season ticket holders. The number dropped to 271 in 2018. However, last year there were 325 season ticket holders, a rise attributed to a new management team revitalising the course.

Waterhall Golf Club president Budd Evans said the course had wild areas and attracted a wide variety of wildlife from deer to green woodpeckers.

He questioned how fencing off areas for sheep and cattle grazing would affect the wild deer on the course.

Mr Evans blamed neglect of the clubhouse for the drop in season ticket holders from 235 in 2010 to 99 in 2019.