Why is a judicial review necessary?
• A major development at Hatchfield Farm would irrevocably damage Newmarket’s core industries, racing and breeding, and create unpleasant and hazardous living and working conditions for residents.
• This view was supported by the entire racing and breeding industry, hundreds of residents, Newmarket Town Council and over 1,700 people signed a petition. Importantly, Forest Heath District Councillors demonstrated agreement with this view when they unanimously rejected the application.
• Newmarket does not need this quantity of additional housing – there is plenty of affordable housing available in Newmarket and nearby areas and brownfield sites ripe for development. There are a large number of empty affordable houses in a major new development in nearby Red Lodge and there are other areas such as Mildenhall who would like more affordable housing.
• However, North East Newmarket remains in the Core Strategy Document earmarked as appropriate for development with Hatchfield Farm as the only site within this area that is available for development.
• Although Core Strategy is not meant to be site specific, it appears to be site specific with Hatchfield Farm and endorsed by the fact Lord Derby has applied to the Court to be a party with the Council to the Judicial Review proceedings.
• To prevent a new slightly amended application being approved, a strong “alliance” of Newmarket businesses, which employ over 1/3 of the town’s working population, and Save Historic Newmarket Action Group, have been granted a Judicial review of FHDC’s Core Strategy document.
• Judicial review has been applied for on the grounds that the Core Strategy is unlawful due to FHDC’s failure to comply with the requirement for sustainability and environmental assessments. Through the Judicial Review, the Alliance hopes to ensure that North East New Market aka Hatchfield Farm is taken out of the Core Strategy document and historic Newmarket will be able to continue to flourish as a place to live and as the World HQ of racing.
Costly exercise of the Judicial Review wasting tax payers’ money can be avoided
• However, Forest Heath District Council can avoid the costly legal expenses of using local taxpayers’ money to fight those same taxpayers, its residents and local businesses, in a judicial review through extracting North East Newmarket from the Core Strategy document. The Alliance has received legal advice as to how this extraction could be lawfully executed and they have sent this through to the Council and Councillors.
Who are the members of the Alliance who have applied for a Judicial Review?
• Godolphin, Darley Stud Management, Jockey Club Estates, Tattersalls, Newmarket Trainers Federation, Save Historic Newmarket Action Group, Unex Group