Cheltenham Council Gives Planning Permission for £45m Racecourse Development

Cheltenham Borough Council has given The Jockey Club permission to pursue the group’s £45m ($68.6m) development project of its Cheltenham Racehourse.

The proposed development will create a new state-of-the-art grandstand to accompany the existing main grandstand and replace the 1920s ‘A&R’ block.

Additionally the plan includes new members’ facilities, doctor general public viewing areas, sale private boxes and the Royal Box. Owners and trainers will also experience substantial facility improvements.

The Jockey Club is British horseracing’s largest commercial group and runs 15 racehorses in the UK. The development of Cheltenham, healing the group’s largest single investment in facilities, comes after similar projects at Aintree and Epsom Downs.

Over £80m ($122m) has been invested in Cheltenham’s facility in the last 30 years which welcomes more than 700,000 visitors a year.

Ian Renton, Cheltenham and South West Regional Director for Jockey Club Racehorses, said of the news: “I am delighted that Cheltenham Borough Council has approved the application and am most grateful for the very positive support received from the local community. The new development will enable us to provide facilities for our racegoers in keeping with the quality of the National Hunt Racing on offer at Cheltenham and ensure that Cheltenham Racecourse enhances its status as a world-class sports venue for many years to come.”

After a successful public consultation, a detailed planning application for the development was submitted to Cheltenham Borough Council at the end of April 2013. The project is expected to begin immediately after the 2014 Cheltenham Festival and be completely ahead of the 2016 Festival.