Best areas to open golf course in South West
13 South West local authorities ranked by the Gera Business Location Score — real rent, wages, rates and market density.
Where is the best place to open a golf course in South West?
In South West, the best area to open a golf course is Cotswold, with a Gera Business Location Score of 69.8/100: premises at £116/m²/yr and local median pay £29,655. South Gloucestershire ranks lowest of 13 South West authorities at 33.6/100. From 2025 UK government open data; re-dated annually.
South West ranked for golf course
| # | Local authority | GBLS | Rent (£/m²/yr) | Local pay | Rates / 100 m² |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cotswold | 69.8/100 | £116 | £29,655 | £5,011 |
| 2 | Forest of Dean | 64.8/100 | £86 | £25,387 | £3,715 |
| 3 | Somerset | 58.9/100 | £91 | £29,152 | £3,931 |
| 4 | Teignbridge | 58.3/100 | £96 | £28,636 | £4,147 |
| 5 | Cornwall | 58/100 | £103 | £27,006 | £4,450 |
| 6 | Wiltshire | 56.7/100 | £99 | £30,000 | £4,277 |
| 7 | East Devon | 56.4/100 | £95 | £31,874 | £4,104 |
| 8 | Mid Devon | 55.9/100 | £105 | £29,224 | £4,536 |
| 9 | North Somerset | 55.7/100 | £100 | £28,749 | £4,320 |
| 10 | Dorset | 54.7/100 | £118 | £29,292 | £5,098 |
| 11 | Bath and North East Somerset | 51.2/100 | £106 | £32,004 | £4,579 |
| 12 | Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole | 50.6/100 | £106 | £31,121 | £4,579 |
| 13 | South Gloucestershire | 33.6/100 | £123 | £36,920 | £5,314 |
Frequently asked questions
- What is the cheapest area for golf course premises in South West?
- The lowest VOA rateable value for this property type in South West is £86/m²/yr in Forest of Dean. On the combined Gera Business Location Score, which also weighs wages and demand, Cotswold ranks #1.
- How much are business rates for golf course in Cotswold?
- For a 100 m² unit in Cotswold, business rates are roughly £5,011/yr at the 2026-27 small-business multiplier (43.2p), on top of about £11,600/yr rent — before Small Business Rate Relief.
Opening a golf course in South West?
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Contains public sector information published by Valuation Office Agency and Office for National Statistics and licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: VOA Business Floorspace + ONS Business Counts + ONS ASHE (work geography) + ONS population estimates (2025 (VOA 31 March 2025; ASHE 2025 provisional; Business Counts 2025; population mid-2024), published December 2025).