News

Sir Peter O'Sullevan, Sir Henry Cecil and Sir Michael Stoute will be the hosts at a dinner at the Jockey Club Rooms on Saturday, 26 November. The evening has been organised by Save Historic Newmarket in order to raise funds to meet the legal bills incurred in fighting Lord Derby's plans for a vast development of 1,200 houses and a retail park on Hatchfield Farm.

We are immensely grateful to a large number of generous donors who have helped to stage the evening and have put forward exciting lots for the main auction and silent auction, which are as follows:

MAIN AUCTION

1. Magnum of Chateau Lafite Rothschild 1987
2. Holiday in Islay: a week staying at Garra Eallabus, Loch Guirnart, sleeps 7, kindly donated by Mr and Mrs Nicholas Jones
3. An original John King watercolour of the Thurlow Hunt, kindly donated by Mrs John Ferguson
4. Diamond and pearl 18-carat gold brooch/pendant
5. Cin Cin dinner or lunch, Prospect, St James, Barbados, a table for four on the terrace, kindly donated by the Andy Stewart Charitable Foundation
6. Two Budweiser FA Cup Final tickets, Saturday, 5 May, 2012, kindly donated by Ladbrokes
7. A nomination to Sir Percy, kindly donated by Mr and Mrs Anthony Pakenham
8. Kentucky Bluegrass Trip: five days and four nights for four people, kindly donated by Bluegrass Conservancy, Helen Alexander & Stuart Huston (Middlebrook Farm), Angela & Anthony Beck (Gainesway Farm), Maegan Ford Nicholson & Jamie Nicholson (Diamond A Farms), Dudley's Restaurant, Boo Hardy and Lori Kirk Wagner.
9. A painting by Charles Church: oil on panel full body portrait of your horse, kindly donated by Charles Church
10. 'At home dining party' for eight people, three-course meal with two bottles of champagne, white, red and dessert wine, kindly donated by Guy Heald

SILENT AUCTION

1. Two Victorian silver pill boxes (one heart-shaped, embossed with cupids, the other oval, embossed with cherubs), kindly donated by The Hon. Mrs. Penelope Butler
2. Morning on the gallops and breakfast at the Manor House Inn with Paul Nicholls, kindly donated by Paul Nicholls
3. A day's hunting with Eddie Ahern in Cottesmore country on one of his hunters, kindly donated by Eddie Ahern
4. Bronze of a wild boar by Juliet Cursham, kindly donated by Juliet Cursham
5. A set of conservatory furniture, kindly donated by Edward Babington and Francoise Guillambert
6. Wine-tasting and lunch for eight people with David Roberts, kindly donated by Goedhuis & Co Fine Wine Merchants
7. Utah winter skiing package for up to eight people, kindly donated by National Ability Centre
8. A Chelsea enamel box, kindly donated by Penny Walkinshaw
9. Morning on the gallops and breakfast with Sir Michael Stoute, followed by a tour and lunch at the Jockey Club Rooms and tickets for racing for two people, kindly donated by Sir Michael Stoute
10. A 14-carat gold tie pin with Galloping Horse
11. 'Reacing For It', a signed print by Peter Curling, kindly donated by Peter Curling
12. To be guests of Ant and Dec on the set of Britain's Got Talents and drinks afterwards for two people, kindly donated by Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly
13. A case of Chateau Beychevelle 1996 Saint-Julien, kindly donated by David Russell
14. A two-hour consultation with top interior designer, kindly donated by Emma Benyon
15. A riding lesson with Frankie Dettori at the British Racing School, kindly donated by Frankie Dettori and The British Racing School
16. Victorian oval silver box embossed with cherubs and dog, kindly donated by The Hon. Mrs. Penelope Butler
    
    

 Even if you are not attending the dinner, you can make a bid on any of these items by contacting Janet Anderson on janet@jamesfanshawe.com or 01638 664525.

 

23 November 2011

The planning inspector's hearing for Lord Derby's appeal against the unanimous rejection of his Hatchfield Farm development project was completed in September. His report, which will be passed to the secretary of state, is expected to be published in the early part of 2012.

We'll keep you posted with any news relating to this issue and in the meantime, Save Historic Newmarket, the entire racing and breeding community and a vast number of Newmarket residents remain united in their opposition to Lord Derby's plans to seriously increase the size of the town with a 1,200-home housing development and retail park.

In fighting the appeal lodged by Lord Derby after Newmarket Town Council and Forest Heath District Council had rejected his plans in June 2010, the local groups fighting this development have incurred large legal bills. Save Historic Newmarket is holding a fundraising dinner at the Jockey Club Rooms on Saturday, 26 November, which will include an auction and silent auction. Details of lots will be made available on this website very soon.

 

17 November 2011

Government reforms put England's greenfield sites under threat from developers.

 Click here to see the full story on the National Trust website.

The Hatchfield Farm appeal gets underway at the offices of Forest Heath District Council tomorrow (12 July) at 10am.

There is still time to register your disapproval to Lord Derby's plan to build 1,200 homes and an industrial park in Newmarket, and to apply to speak at the appeal hearing, which is likely to take at least two weeks. Please send an email today to Sian.Evans@pins.gsi.gov.uk if you wish to have your say.

Members and supporters of the Save Historic Newmarket Action Group will be gathering at the FHDC offices tomorrow at 9.45am. Please join us to show your support. The offices are at: College Heath Road, Mildenhall, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, IP28 7EY. Tel. 01638 719000.

 Posted on 11 July 2011

 

The Hatchfield Farm appeal hearing begins on Tuesday, 12 July, 2011.

If you wish to comment on and oppose Lord Derby's plans to build 1,200 homes and an industrial park on this site, please send your comments to the inspector via this web link.

You need to search for case number 2142030.

You can also read about the controversial traffic report for Hatchfield Farm via this link to the Newmarket Journal.

Thank you for your support. Your opinions matter.

The town council told him 'No'. The district council told him 'No'. A High Court judge told him 'No'. But Lord Derby is now appealing to government planning inspectors to overturn the elected councillors' decision having engaged in an unsuccessful legal action against local residents and businesses who oppose his plans to build a major housing development in Newmarket.

In preparing to drop two of the original grounds for refusal of Lord Derby's planning application, council officers, led by FHDC's strategic director Nigel McCurdy, appear to be preparing to undermine councillors' and local residents' concerns that a major increase in traffic would be disastrous for the thousands of horses which cross Newmarket's roads every day.

A recent traffic report by a FHDC-appointed expert is not consistent with the same expert's draft report produced for the council only a few weeks earlier, in which it was indicated that the likely major increase in traffic is completely unsustainable and would be deeply damaging to the town's core industry. This, of course, is what local residents, businesses and horsemen have said all along.

Please join us at the meeting at Forest Heath's offices in Mildenhall at 6pm on Wednesday, 22nd June.

Local residents and businesses, including Tattersalls, Godolphon, Darley, Jockey Club Estates, Newmarket Trainers' Federation and Save Historic Newmarket Action Group, are rejoicing after a High Court judge quashed Forest Heath District Council's deeply flawed Core Strategy.

Read more here

 26 March 2011

Forest Heath councillors yesterday unanimously rejected attempts by council officers to overturn their decision to reject Lord Derby's application to build 1,200 houses on Hatchfield Farm.

FHDC officers attempted to remove the councillors' reasons for turning down the application when it comes to appeal but angry members voted against handing delegated powers to the Head of Planning, insisting rightly that they should be involved in the preparation of a Statement of Common Ground, which is required by the planning inspector by 7 April.  

In June, planning committee councillors unanimously rejected the Earl's attempts to tear up 160 acres of greenfield farmland for the large-scale development which also includes plans for a business park.

But, oblivious to the concerns raised by Newmarket's large racing and breeding industry and many locals, Lord Derby is appealing to government planning inspectors to overturn the councillors' decision and engaging in legal action against residents and businesses who oppose his plans.

10 February 2011

Lord Derby's application to build 1,200 houses in Newmarket was rejected by local residents and Newmarket Town Council. Then it was unanimously rejected by the planning committee of the district council last June.

But, instead of listening to the local residents and businesses who have repeatedly told him his plans threaten thousands of local jobs, Lord Derby has appealed against this decision.

And on Wednesday, 9 February, Forest Heath District Council's planning committee will be asked by council officers to overturn their original rejection, despite the fact that Lord Derby's appeal is not due to be heard by a government inspector until later this year.

Please contact your district councillors on the planning committee and ask them to uphold their original decision and join us and other local residents for the meeting at 4.30pm on Wednesday at Forest Heath District Council's offices at College Heath Road, Mildenhall, Suffolk, IP28 7EY.

Posted on 8 February 2011

With the end of the year approaching, you might be interested to read a brief overview of the state of play in Newmarket.

As you will be aware, the prospect of Newmarket being significantly enlarged by the creation of a suburb on the north-eastern side of the town on Lord Derby’s Hatchfield Farm has caused considerable disquiet among the town in general and among its racing and bloodstock community in particular.  Newmarket occupies such a special place in the racing heritage of the world, never mind merely of Britain, that any move which threatens its viability as a premier training centre – as the development of Hatchfield Farm and the consequent further increase in traffic in the town surely would – is able to provoke universal opposition.

Unsurprisingly, opposition to Hatchfield Farm has not been restricted to the racing world: in July, Forest Heath District Council’s planning committee voted unanimously to throw out Lord Derby’s application.  Unfortunately, this seemingly decisive verdict has not brought the matter to an end because Lord Derby appears intent on challenging the verdict.

With Newmarket’s training and breeding communities united alongside the Jockey Club, Tattersalls and the town’s local politicians, it is hoped that Lord Derby will either bow voluntarily to overwhelming local opinion, or find that his schemes continue to be rebuffed by the relevant planning authorities.  The former would obviously be the preferable option for all concerned, and it is a source of disappointment that the issue remains on-going.

Ironically, at this time of year Lord Derby makes the headlines not only for his plans which would, if successful, undermine Newmarket’s viability as a successful training centre, but also for his role as patron of the Horserace Writers’ and Photographers’ Association, whose prestigious awards are named in his honour.  This awards lunch was previously one of the social highlights of the year for many of racing’s professionals – so if we can make one wish for 2011, it is the removal of the spectre of the green fields of Hatchfield Farm becoming a significant urban extension to our historic town.  

Historically, Lord Derby’s family has been renowned as patrons, rather than opponents, of Newmarket; it is in nobody’s interests for this honourable tradition to be broken.

26 November 2010