News

 Forest Heath District councillors tonight voted unanimously to refuse the planning application submitted by Lord Derby to build 1200 homes on Hatchfield Farm in Newmarket.

The many members and supporters of Save Historic Newmarket who turned out in force to hear the determination were delighted with the outcome and thanks must go to Newmarket Town Councillor Richard Fletcher, Godolphin's Hugh Anderson, William Gittus of Jockey Club Estates and Councillor Pat McCloud for making such tremendous representations on behalf of the town.

Thanks also to Tattersalls for the considerable resources they have devoted to achieveing this result and to the councillors themsleves, who listened to the people of Newmarket and have acted in their best interests.

2 June 2010

Newmarket's annual town meeting is being held on Monday, 24 May at King Edward VII Memorial Hall on the High Street starting at 6.30pm.

In recent years this has been a well-attended event and it is crucial that as many Newmarket residents as possible turn out to make their feelings known on local issues. As well as Newmarket's Town Council, there will be council officials from Forest Heath District Council, who have so far done everything they can to try to force the Hatchfield Farm development on us.

The new date for the decision on Lord Derby's plans has been set for 2 June and it's vital now that we remind FHDC that we will not stand by and watch Newmarket be ruined by such a vast development. Please attend the meeting if you can.

5 May 2010

Forest Heath District Councillors voted on Thursday to defer a decision on the Hatchfield Farm development until 4 June 2010.

At an extraordinary planning meeting called to assess Lord Derby's application to build 1200 homes and a business park on Hatchfield Farm, Cllrs Drummond, Radford, Hirst and Huggan each moved to reject the application and they were joined in the vote on this by Cllr Mrs Fairman Smith. However, the remaining members of the council present opted to defer the decision to allow more time to consider the implications of such a development, an option they were strongly urged to take by FHDC's head of strategic development, Nigel McCurdy, and the head of planning, Nicola George.

Save Historic Newmarket applauds the brave stance and intelligent comments and objections put forward by Andy Drummond, Ian Radford, Warwick Hirst and Tim Huggan and thanks them and also Newmarket Town Councillor Richard Fletcher and Jockey Club Estates' managing director William Gittus for the impassioned speeches on behalf of the town. Together with the hundreds of residents who turned out to protest at the FHDC offices on Thursday evening, we will continue in our quest to ensure that Lord Derby's monstrous scheme is not given the green light by Forest Heath District Council.

29 March 2010

On Friday, 12th February, Forest Heath District Council’s planning committee voted unanimously to refuse Lord Derby’s request to extend the 16 week planning application by 10 weeks.  The 16 week application process will end by 26th March.  Save Historic Newmarket were welcomed this development and Chair, Rachel Hood said:”We are delighted by this refusal to extend the application process.  There is such massive opposition to the Hatchfield Farm development and we hope that this signals the beginning of the end to this whole issue.”

Click here to read the Racing Post's story.

17 February 2010

This week's poll in our fantastic local newspaper The Newmarket Journal asks: "Do you agree with the plans to build 1,200 homes and a retail park on Hatchfield Farm?"

Click here to view the link and don't forget to vote NO!

11 February 2010

Members of Save Historic Newmarket had hoped to erect a statue of Charles II near the clock tower to commemorate the crucial part the Merry Monarch played in making Newmarket what it is today: a world-renowned centre for the training and breeding of racehorses.

Despite the fact that the project has the backing of county councillors and that the statue would be funded entirely by money raised from a Save Historic Newmarket-organised campaign and not by tax payers, Newmarket's town councillors do not share our enthusiasm for the town's royal links. The mayor, Cllr Jane Bailey, stated that such an idea must come from 'the community'. What, if not members of the community, are the hundreds of members of Save Historic Newmarket?

Please support our bid for the statue of Charles II by voting online in the Newmarket Journal's poll, which can be found by clicking here. You can also make your comments known on the Journal's Facebook page. Your opinion counts so please vote!

 5 February 2010

Following a meeting between Caroline Spelman MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government and Rachel Hood of Save Historic Newmarket and colleagues from Tattersalls, Ms Spelman confirmed that the Conservative Party would seek to abolish the East Of England Spatial Strategy if successful at the forthcoming General Election.

She said: “A Conservative Government would move straight away on entering office to scrap the whole bureaucratic tier of regional planning, relieving Forest Heath District Council of the need to comply with the East of England Regional Spatial Strategy. Local councils should be free to determine the most sustainable level of development in their local area, and we need a local funding system for councils which encourages that local choice and local accountability.”

In response, Rachel Hood, Chair of Save Historic Newmarket, said: “The regional spatial strategy  is inflexible and out of touch with local needs. We are greatly reassured that Caroline Spelman sees it this way. We are very concerned that the strategy is pushing Forest Heath District Council to consider Hatchfield Farm as the best way of meeting the current government targets.  It  does not meet the criteria of being sustainable – it would be damaging to Newmarket’s core racing industry. It will urbanise a rural market town and exacerbate hazardous conditions for horses, riders, pedestrians and drivers.  We are hoping that the councillors will recognise this when they make their crucial decision."

5 February 2010

Richard Spring, MP for West Suffolk, took the fight against Hatchfield Farm to Westminster on 19 January having secured a 30-minute parliamentary debate.

In his speech, he outlined the widespread opposition to Lord Deby's plans to build 1200 homes, retail units and and 80-bed hotel to the under secretary of state for communities and local government, Ian Austin.

Spring said: "Newmarket is a precious jewel in the life of this country and this obscene housing development has the capacity to destroy it."

Members of Save Historic Newmarket were joined in the public gallery at Westminster Hall by representatives from Tattersalls and Jockey Club Estates.

To see the story on the BBC website and to watch a video link of Richard Spring's speech in full, please click here.

20 January 2010

Freezing fog did not deter more than 300 people attending a protest rally against Lord Derby's plans to develop Hatchfield Farm in Newmarket on Monday.

Angry residents joined representatives from many different organisations within the racing world to vent their frustration at Forest Heath District Council's decision to include the 160-acre greenfield site on its list of potential areas for new housing. A planning application, which ran to 17 boxes of paperwork, containing outlines for 1200 homes, an 80-bed hotel and industrial and commercial units, was submitted to FHDC on Friday, 4 December.

Jacko Fanshawe, a committee member of Save Historic Newmarket who organised the rally, was one of four speakers, including Jimmy George of Tattersalls, William Gittus of Jockey Club Estates and SHN chair Rachel Hood.

She said: "We are here for one thing, and that is to unite in our condemnation of Lord Derby's proposed plans to develop Hatchfield Farm.

"Rachel Hood and I went to have a look at the area on Sunday and it is enormous. Make no mistake, this development would have a hugely detrimental effect on the town and the thoroughbred industry.

"Newmarket is the jewel in racing's crown and we must not let it be cheapened. Lord Derby has said that he wouldn't do anything to harm Newmarket or racing. Well, today we are saying to him, actually, you are harming both."

Lord Derby, who owns Stanley House Stud on the Snailwell Road, lives more than 170 miles from Newmarket at Knowsley, Cheshire.

A public enquiry into housing allocation for Forest Heath starts on Tuesday, 15 December and a planning inspector will consider Newmarket's case on Friday, 7 January 2010.

Meanwhile, opponents to Lord Derby's plans have also been making their feelings known via our online petition which was launched on Friday. Please click here to add your name to the campaign to STOP THE HATCHFIELD FARM DEVELOPMENT.

14 December 2009 

There is to be a Hatchfield Farm Development protest rally ahead of the start of the public enquiry into the core strategy on Monday, 14 December. The rally takes place in the Highflyer car park at Tattersalls in The Avenue, Newmarket from 12 noon.

Concerned residents of Newmarket, please come along and make your voices heard.

11 December 2009