£7.5m grandstand plan gallops ahead

Arun District Council planning officer James Smith has approved the 7.5m three-storey building.

This clears the last hurdle for the racecourse's owner, Northern Racing, to go ahead with the ambitious scheme.

Mr Smith made his decision after no objections were received from consultations with organisations such as West Sussex County Council and the Environment Agency as well as local residents.

He says in a report that the grandstand will be a visual improvement on the existing stand.

"This proposal further enhances the racecourse facilities to compete with other improved venues such as Kempton Park and Ascot.

"It equips the facilities up to 21st-century standards.

"This will benefit tourists and locals using the racecourse," he comments.

"There are not considered to be any detrimental effects on the countryside as the new stand is not significantly larger than the existing as it is screened from direct views.

"There are no direct residential properties adjacent to the proposed stand."

The planning approval gives Northern Racing three years in which to start work on what promises to be one of the best grandstands in the country.

It will boast 12 private hospitality boxes on the top floor, a glass-fronted hospitality/banqueting lounge for 250 people on the middle floor and a multi-purpose hall on the ground floor with new catering and betting facilities.

As well as being used for more than 20 race meetings a year, the stand will be hired seven days a week for events including weddings, conferences and exhibitions.

Building work on the structure '“ the first stand on a Sussex racecourse since the Kerman stand was built at Fontwell Park in 1991 '“ is expected to start next summer.

It is planned to open in August, 2010 to take the sporting venue alongside the A27 and A29 into a new era.

The new building will replace the slightly smaller 1920s grandstand at the northern end of the course opposite the winning post.

When finished, the grandstand will add 2,066sq m of assembly and leisure floor space to be used for hospitality events. Five extra jobs will be generated to add to the 15 full-time and 20 part-time employees who work at the site.

Fontwell Park House and gardens will remain largely unchanged, though the much loved Dome will be moved closer to the house to ensure its protection. Racing will be unaffected by the building work.

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