Shaanxi closes down unapproved golf course

Yulin city, Shaanxi province, has shut down an unapproved golf course in response to concerns about its violation of state regulations and impact on environment, a local joint investigation group said on Thursday night.

It had launched a serious investigation into this incident and expressed gratitude to China Media Group's supervision report for finding and resolving this problem, The Paper reported on Friday.

The golf course, located in the Yulin Sand Forest Park, occupies nearly 200 hectares of land. Built in 2008 without the approval procedures, it has been operating for over a decade in a desertified area in Yulin and violating a 2004 directive from the State Council that suspended the construction of new golf courses, China Media Group reported on Tuesday.

The golf course has 18 fairways and all the above-ground structures were built without approval. This raises questions about how such a project could be developed in violation of a national ban. In addition, the golf course's high water consumption for maintaining the turf is a concern in the water-scarce and environmentally fragile region of Yulin.

In response to public concern, a joint investigation team has been formed by the Yulin government, consisting of departments such as the development and reform commission, bureaus of resources management, public security, ecological and environment, water resources, forestry and urban management, Yulin Daily reported on Tuesday.