Fears Kempton Park could be flattened after 150 years of horseracing for thousands of homes

Fears Kempton Park could be flattened after 150 years of horseracing for thousands of homes EXCLUSIVE: Kempton Park, the home of the King George VI Chase, could be bulldozed with proposals first put forward back in 2017 to build thousands of new homes 'reactivated' Fears have been raised that historic racecourse Kempton Park could be flattened to make way for 2,000 new homes. A local MP has voiced concerns developers are preparing a planning application to destroy the legendary horseracing venue, which has hosted the sport since 1878. The idea was first put forward in 2017 before plans were shelved, but campaigners say the idea is back on the agenda and fear it could spell the end of the course. Kempton has helped make Arkle, Desert Orchid and Kauto Star household names over the years. The iconic Surrey site, the home of the King George VI Chase, currently hosts flat and National Hunt racing and its closure would see fixtures hosted elsewhere around the country. Kempton is subject to an agreement giving building firm Redrow the right to buy it should planning permission be waved through. Lincoln Jopp, the MP for Spelthorne, says developers are preparing to "reactivate" proposals, which were shelved back in 2017. He says losing the Sunbury-on-Thames venue, which also hosts a weekly market, would be a blow not only to the area but to the whole country. He said: "There is a significant risk that developers Redrow are going to reactive their application to put 2,000 homes on Kempton Park and flatten the racecourse. "To be frank, I really like my local racecourse. It is a community hub and we have now launched a petition. We really need to save Kempton Park. "I believe a planning loophole has been found. If they need housing, there are plenty of other places to choose from in the area. Don't destroy an iconic racecourse." The Jockey Club, who also run the country's leading racecourses including Cheltenham, Epsom and Aintree, said: "Any residential development would be dependent on planning approval and as that process has not started, the focus for Kempton Park continues to be on hosting racing." Last year, Club chief executive Jim Mullen said the track's future was "out of my hands". Originally, they said the money from the sale would be reinvested into a string of other projects worth a total of £500million. Among them would be a new state-of-the art floodlit all-weather course, currently planned for a new site at The Links in Newmarket which would open before Kempton closed its doors. Sandown would also receive major investment in its facilities, track and race programme as part of the plans. Nine years ago, they described it as "once-in-a-generation opportunity to promote the site for new homes and local benefits, while preserving green space between the local borough and London." Redrow's parent company, Barratt Redrow, said: "We have an agreement with the Jockey Club giving us the right to promote Kempton Park for development, and since this agreement was made we have been reviewing whether the site, or parts of it, could assist with the delivery of much needed new housing."