A NEW GOLF course under construction just outside St Albans will not now open until late summer next year. Luddington Investments took over work on the �5 million Centurion Club on the 180-acre site near the M1 at Potters Crouch in between St Albans and H

A NEW GOLF course under construction just outside St Albans will not now open until late summer next year.

Luddington Investments took over work on the �5 million Centurion Club on the 180-acre site near the M1 at Potters Crouch in between St Albans and Hemel Hempstead in 2005.

Previously the site had a chequered history with concern about waste materials being dumped there before Luddington acquired the site from the previous owners Earl Rose.

A survey carried out for the council revealed that hundreds of thousands of tons of excess material had been imported to the site since planning permission was originally given in 1988. Some of the material was found to be contaminated.

Roy Horton, managing director of Luddington Investments, explained this week that the project, which was originally due to be completed in 2008, had been delayed because of a shortage of investment.

He said: "We needed to get another �4 million of investment last year but the timing was wrong and we had to put the project on hold."

Around 11 of the 18-holes have been completed and a greenkeeper's building put on the site.

The greens will be seeded in September or October this year with a view to being played by late next summer. Before that a road junction will be put in at a cost of �300,000.

Mr Horton said: "It has taken Herts Highways more than two years to agree the road layout with a right turn being provided and the road widened. But it is all looking lovely and the course is shaping up beautifully."

He added that the club would open to members to play the 18 holes before the clubhouse was built.

A spokesperson for St Albans District Council said that while the site had planning permission for a golf course which was in the process of being implemented, it had no information about a formal or target completion date.