Jockey Club setback as council rejects Kempton housing plan

The Jockey Club's plans to redevelop Kempton Park racecourse have had another setback as the local council has not included the track among sites proposed for development in a planning consultation launched this week.

It was announced in January 2017 that the Jockey Club had put forward the racecourse, in a partnership with builders Redrow, as a potential site for housing in response to a call from Spelthorne Borough Council.

It hoped to raise at least £100 million from the building of 3,000 houses which would help support a £500m investment in racing, including the creation of an all-weather track in Newmarket and major upgrade at Sandown.

The plans provoked a huge outcry from opponents including the council, local residents and leading racing figures including trainer Nicky Henderson and owner JP McManus.

Last year the council said Kempton Park was found to be "strongly performing" as part of the green belt and was therefore unlikely to be considered for housing.

This week Spelthorne Borough Council released its "Preferred Options" for consultation, showing where proposed housing and other building would take place – and Kempton was not included.

Nicky Henderson: among the opponents of developing of Kemtpon for housingCredit: Edward Whitaker

One of the documents released by the council said of Kempton: "The loss of this site from the green belt would risk the merging of Spelthorne with Greater London and this would also significantly alter the character of the area. As such, development of the site is considered contrary to the spatial strategy."

It added: "The benefits of the proposed scheme have been weighed up against the negative impacts identified and it has been concluded that the harm to the green belt is not outweighed by the proposed development."

In a site assessment document, planning officers said: "The racecourse is a historic and established asset in the area and it should be explored whether its loss is inevitable on viability grounds or if a large housing scheme is simply more economically appealing to the landowner."

The news was welcomed by campaigners Keep Kempton Green, who said: "After six years, [consultants] Arup, Surrey Highways and Spelthorne Council have agreed with what we have been saying all along: a housing development on the Kempton Park estate would destroy vital green belt, would alter the character of Sunbury for the worse, and would cause lasting traffic chaos throughout the surrounding area."

It is understood the Jockey Club was examining the council documents on Wednesday.

The council consultation runs until January 7 after which the next stage will be the formal "Examination in Public".

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