About the July Course Redevelopment
Planning permission was granted by East Cambridgeshire District Council for the first stage of Newmarket Racecourses' redevelopment of the July Course and work started on the £10m upgrade in early September 2006, immediately after the end of the summer racing season. Kier Eastern were awarded the contract to carry out the works, carried out in a single phase between September 2006 and May 2007, opening in time for the start of the summer racing season on the July Course in 2007.
The redevelopment was designed by Gloucester-based architects Limbrick Limited and focused on the area behind the existing stands. The stands themselves, which are structurally very sound despite their age were largely untouched other than re-roofing them, completed at the end of the 2006 racIng season.
The perimeter boundary at the back of the July Course site was extended backwards into the main public car park (part of the National Stud) to take in another third of a hectare of land, giving more space and scope for new facilities built in the two main enclosures. The then existing, somewhat disparate array of buildings behind the stands, which have increased in number and design over the years, were demolished and the whole of the enlarged area was redesigned with new bars, catering outlets and toilets to meet the expectations of the modern racegoer.
The focal points of the redevelopment are two new entrance buildings on the new perimeter boundary and two new two-storey elliptical-shaped pavilions inside linked by an aerial walkway, combining toilets and bars below and al-fresco dining above.
The July Course Restaurant, (renamed The Summer House Restaurant for 2007) at the back of the first side-on grandstand, was extended at the rear with a new air-conditioned conservatory increasing the restaurant capacity from 220 to around 300.
Lisa Hancock, Managing Director of Newmarket Racecourses in 2007, commented: "If getting the Millennium Grandstand put right on the Rowley Mile had to be the new management team's first priority, a very close second was the upgrading of the July Course facilities. I am really excited by these plans, which are the fruit of more than three years of planning and consultation. We carried out an extensive customer research exercise last year, as a result of which a number of adjustments have been made both to the design and operation of the scheme. When our racegoers see the end product, I think they will be thrilled with what they will find.
"Everyone can see that in the past there has been under-investment in the July Course facilities, some of which date back 50 or more years, but such is the unique charm of the July Course environment that past managements have 'got away with it'. However, for a 21st century racecourse, the current facilities are simply not good enough and as a result I think this redevelopment will make a massive impact.
"The trees, the lawns, the thatched roofs and the stands themselves, all of which are so intrinsic to the July Course's appeal, will all remain, but the vastly improved design and layout of the new facilities, combined with the extra space thanks to the new land that we are gaining at the back, will enhance the racegoing experience no end."
Official Opening
The official opening for the re-developed July Course was Wednesday 11th July 2007. Newmarket Legends Frankie Dettori and Lester Piggott did the honours.
If you do have any feedback on the new July Course, please contact us by calling 01638 675 500 or click here