Lord Derby's housing plans have met with continued protest in Newmarket
PICTURE: Chris BourchierAngry Stewart may leave awards over Derby plans
RACING’s anger at Lord Derby’s desire to build 1,200 houses on a greenfield site in Newmarket is set to be heightened after Andy Stewart threatened to end his backing of the Derby Awards unless Ouija Board’s owner-breeder withdraws his Hatchfield Farm development plan.
Stewart, alongside Boylesports.com, supported last Monday’s awards, organised by the Horserace Writers’ and Photographers’ Association, at which Tony McCoy, Paul Hanagan and Brough Scott were among the winners.
However, Stewart, who promoted Spinal Research through the awards, is now threatening to end his association with the event which, for the second consecutive year, was the scene of a protest by Newmarket personalities.
On this occasion, trainer John Gosden, whose wife Rachel Hood in 2009 interrupted Derby on stage and unfurled a banner, used an acceptance speech to accuse the owner-breeder of “greed”.
Andy Stewart: not impressed
PICTURE: EdwardWhitakerStewart said: “Unless Lord Derby unilaterally withdraws his planning application or enters into proper engagement with the people of Newmarket and a sensible compromise is reached, I won’t be supporting the awards next year.
“I know Newmarket quite well, and to have a dormitory town shoved within it would be terrible. To see Lord Derby proposing such a plan is astounding. If I inherited land next door to a hospital where my father was a radiologist and then knocked down the hospital to build houses on the land, my father would turn in his grave.”
Stewart, who has horses trained in Newmarket by Jeremy Noseda, added: “Lord Derby seems to be in a minority of one among Newmarket’s racing people in thinking this is a good idea. John Gosden made a reference to the situation during his speech on Monday and I think 99 per cent of people agreed with the point he made.
“Lord Derby is hoping to make millions out of this deal, so perhaps he should be backing the awards financially himself. These aren’t the Andy Stewart awards, they are the Derby Awards, so if he continues with his intentions to build houses in Newmarket, he should be the one putting up the money, not me.”
Derby recently lodged an appeal with the planning inspectorate against the Forest Heath District Council, which voted in June to turn down his application on traffic grounds and the knock-on effect the development would have on the racing and breeding industries.
Lord Derby was unavailable for comment.
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