Hatchfield decision goes to government after court rejects racing's appeal

The future of Lord Derby’s proposed Hatchfield Farm housing development in Newmarket will once again be in the hands of the government after the Court of Appeal rejected racing’s attempt to put a stop to the plans.

Nearly ten years after it was first proposed, the Hatchfield Farm saga remains unresolved and it will be down to Sajid Javid MP, secretary of state for communities and local government, to make the final call on whether the 400-home project in the north-east of the town gets the go-ahead.

Major racing groups in Newmarket, including the likes of Jockey Club Estates, Tattersalls and a number of trainers, have consistently fought the plans, believing they would bring more traffic to the town and endanger horses and those working with them.

Last year the Newmarket Horsemen’s Group (NHG), an umbrella organisation for those taking on Lord Derby, appeared to have landed a decisive blow when Javid overturned a decision by local government to allow the housing to be constructed.

However, Lord Derby successfully appealed the decision in the high court this year, prompting the NHG to launch its own appeal, which proved unsuccessful in the Court of Appeal on Tuesday.

Lord Derby’s plans have been backed by a group of 15 rural parish councils, representing more than 17,000 Suffolk residents, who support the Hatchfield plans and want housing focused in Newmarket, rather than the wider countryside.

Neither Lord Derby nor the NHG could be reached for comment on Thursday.