MPs are set to debate the future of British horse racing, with Kempton Park facing imminent danger from housing development after the Jockey Club secretly signed an option agreement with a housebuilder in 2018. The debate, secured by Conservative MP Lincoln Jopp, will focus on the impact of the government's relaxed planning regulations under the Planning and Infrastructure Act 2025, which streamlines approvals for sites near well-connected stations and releases Green Belt land for development when housing targets are unmet.
Kempton Park, home of the historic King George VI Chase on Boxing Day, has been under threat since January 2017 when the Jockey Club announced plans to sell the site to a housing developer. Although revised plans in 2020 suggested only 550 homes, the Jockey Club disclosed in December 2025 that it had entered into a 10-year option agreement with Redrow (now Barratt Redrow) in 2018, covering the entire 3,000-home site. The track's railway station, opened in 1878, now poses an additional risk due to streamlined planning rules for sites within 15 minutes' walk of a well-connected station.
Secret Option Agreement and Accountability
The Jockey Club's eight stewards, including senior steward Roger Weatherby and current senior steward Baroness Dido Harding, approved the option agreement behind closed doors. The minutes of the 2018 meeting have not been published, and the agreed price remains undisclosed. The Jockey Club, operating under a Royal Charter, states it must act for the long-term good of racing, but critics argue the secret deal effectively signed Kempton's death warrant without public scrutiny.
Jopp stated that an application for over 2,000 homes was imminent, though Barratt Redrow denied any application in 2025. The option expires in 2028, with a limited extension if a planning application is under consideration. The government's target to build 1.5 million homes in five years may pressure Barratt Redrow to exercise the option, as shareholders would expect.
Opposition and Future Prospects
Local residents and a majority of racing fans oppose the development, with calls for a scaled-down plan to allow racing to continue. However, the Jockey Club's confidential agreement gives Barratt Redrow control. The debate may also question whether a self-appointed club of 150 members should have the power to decide the fate of a historic racecourse.
In a statement on Monday, the Jockey Club said the option agreement allowed Redrow to purchase the site for a significant sum to be reinvested into racing, contingent on planning consent. It added that the focus remains on hosting racing in 2026 and beyond. The debate in Westminster Hall on Tuesday will highlight the broader implications for British horse racing and the need for greater transparency in such decisions.
