Brown's Golf Course on Sandown seafront faced the threat of development by the Isle of Wight Council and potential partners, but this petition has played a key part in saving Brown's for future generations.

Brown's has been a jewel in the Island's heritage for the best part of a century, offering 'Golf for Everybody' ever since top British player Henry Cotton designed its pitch and putt courses in the early 1930s. With its popular cafe and fondly remembered ice cream and doughnuts, Brown's goes hand in hand with Sandown for generations of Islanders and visitors.

But it's not just about golf and ice cream. The buildings at Brown's have a unique wartime heritage, used in the 1940s to house pumps and other crucial infrastructure for PLUTO (Pipeline Under The Ocean), the Allies’ top secret project to deliver fuel to the D-Day invasion forces. 

And as a public space right on the edge of Sandown marshes and the flood plain of the Eastern Yar, the site is a fantastic haven for wildlife. The newly created Willow Walk around the golf course offers a great way to explore the natural environment, all part of the UNESCO Isle of Wight Biosphere Reserve.

For some years, the Isle of Wight Council failed to assure residents and the businesses based at Brown's that the site was safe from development. After what looked like complete closure in September 2020, Brown's Golf and Blue Tiki Cafe were given a short-term lease till October 2022. They reopened the golf courses after months of neglect, and got the cafe and music events up and running again.

Then, on 11 November 2021, the Isle of Wight Council's Cabinet decided that previous plans which had placed Brown's under threat would be changed. The Council confirmed the importance of Sandown's heritage and the Island's status as a Biosphere Reserve, and acknowledged the feelings represented by this petition.

The petition was supported by the history group Our Sandown and the community group Sandown HUB, with its stated aim:

To persuade the Isle of Wight Council to acknowledge the unique heritage of Brown's and guarantee the protection of this much-loved public asset, with all it has to offer, for future generations. 

Whatever your connection with Brown's, we thank you wholeheartedly for your support and were delighted to be able to celebrate the 90th anniversary of Brown's on 26 March 2022.