Last Friday, the Bishell family of Caythorpe Family Estate announced they had partnered with Christchurch's Heller Golf to develop a new high-tech golfing, hospitality and leisure facility on their grounds by 2028.
The announcement comes just two weeks after Marlborough entrepreneur David Hawtin was given consent for a similar development on a hectare of farmland off Alabama Road, which he intended to complete towards the end of 2027.
Both proposals include driving ranges fitted with cutting-edge technology, alongside a bar and eatery.
David's plans, set to cost $2.5 million, were made public in January of this year.
With news of the Bishell development, he says, "I'm not sure that the town's big enough for two, especially not two that are the same."
He says his team will take some time to review plans and see how they compare with Caythorpe Green.
"Our intention was to possibly start building next year. But we heard about this one a couple of months ago. So, we've sort of been tentatively sitting, looking, and wondering about its scale and what it's going to look like."
Until reviews are made, David says he "is probably unsure" of the future of his proposal, especially as "it's a pretty significant investment either way."
Simon Bishell says that he was aware of David's proposal but believes "ours is quite a different product."
"I'm not too sure where he's got to with his process. We've been working on ours for the best part of two years, and we're confident in our business plan."
Simon adds that their diversification into recreation and leisure, with a long history of farming and vineyards, is part of efforts to future-proof the business against the "ups and downs" of primary production.
"Having multiple industries that we're associated with does help us to insulate us a bit against that."
He adds that the reasons for Caythorpe Green go beyond the financial driver.
"We're thinking about succession, and we've had 146 years on this land, our family, and hopefully our children and their children and their children's children would like to see a future here too.
"So,the more facets that we can introduce to the business, the more people we can support, and the more interest future generations will have in wanting to be involved."
