A NORTH Durham golf club which faced the prospect of closure looks set to stay on course for a bright future following successful negotiations between the council chiefs and club representatives.

Roseberry Grange Golf Club near Chester-le-Street has been at the centre of an ongoing public consultation exercise by Durham County Council.

The club had been threatened with closure as part of spending cuts, but negotiations between the authority and the club’s former committee are nearing completion and it looks set to swing back in to action.

Steve Howell, the council’s head of sport and leisure, said: "We have worked closely with the club’s former committee members to negotiate the future ownership of Roseberry, and I now feel very confident that we will reach an agreement.

"Now that agreement has been reached about the transfer of the five council staff employed at the course, ownership could change hands by the middle of next month."

Club chairman Clive Rutter said: "All the committee of the new Roseberry Grange Community Golf Club, which will be run on a voluntary basis.

"We are very pleased that the negotiations with the council are drawing to a successful conclusion and we are looking forward to running the club as a community resource and continuing to provide golfing facilities here in Grange Villa."

County council cabinet member for leisure, Councillor Bob Young, said: "Everyone involved has put in a great deal of hard work and there is much good will.

"I very much hope we can now conclude our negotiations in the very near future and would like to thank council officers and the golf club committee for their hard work which has resulted in this positive development."

Roseberry Golf Club complex opened in 1985 on the former colliery site at Grange Villa.

A public consultation held between February and May 2011 saw 132 people have their say about the plans to close the course and a public meeting was held at the club in March. At the same time, the council invited expressions of interest from anyone keen to operate the club in the future. Four bids were put forward, including that of Roseberry Grange Community Golf Club Ltd - which succeeded.