Kempton’s future uncertain with new rules bringing wrecking ball closer

MPs are to discuss the potential impact of the government’s relaxation of planning regulations with one of racing’s most historic venues in peril

The “future of British horse racing” – and perhaps most immediately, the future of Kempton Park – will be the subject of a debate in Westminster Hall on Tuesday afternoon after Lincoln Jopp, the Conservative member for Spelthorne, secured parliamentary time for MPs to discuss the potential impact of the government’s recent relaxation of planning regulations on the country’s second-biggest spectator sport.

There are 58 active British racecourses, or 59 if you count Newmarket’s Rowley Mile and July courses separately. Plenty are situated on land that could be much more attractive to developers after the introduction of the Planning and Infrastructure Act 2025, which aims to accelerate the planning (and appeals) process and release Green Belt land for development when planning authorities cannot meet housing targets elsewhere.