JERSEY should not sacrifice wild open spaces for the sake of another golf course, say Action for Wildlife.

The group’s chairman, Mike Stentiford, says that the suggestion by Deputy Alan Maclean of a new ‘iconic’ golf course took his breath away.

He says a course along the lines suggested by the Assistant Economic Development Minister would take up a vast area of the Island and that a seventh golf course would not attract many more visitors.

Mr Stentiford said: ‘Golf courses are not something you can squeeze into a corner.

You are going to need an awful lot of space.’ On Saturday Deputy Maclean proposed the creation of a new golf course at the Pontin’s site in St Ouen or on farmland in St Martin, designed by a golf legend like Jack Nicklaus.

He said that a new 18-hole course would be another reason for tourists to come to the Island, besides the standard fare of sunshine and golden beaches.

There are 18-hole courses at the Royal Jersey, La Moye and Les Mielles and nine-hole courses at Wheatlands, Les Ormes and St Clement.