Green flag for Cheltenham Racecourse development plan.

Jockey Club, which has owned and run Cheltenham Racecourse, the host of jump racing’s premier festival, since 1964 has got the green flag for the proposed £45 million development of the British town’s renowned racecourse.

Cheltenham Borough Council voted unanimously, 11-0, in favor of the proposition

Director for Jockey Club Racecourses in the south-east of the UK, said in an interview : “I am delighted that Cheltenham Borough Council has approved the application and am most grateful for the very positive support received from the local community.”

“The new development will enable us to provide facilities for our racegoers in keeping with the quality of the National Hunt Racing on offer at Cheltenham and ensure that Cheltenham Racecourse enhances its status as a world-class sports venue for many years to come,”

The four-day festival, an annual jump meeting which has become one of the leading events on the UK sports calendar, attracts over 236,000 people to the course each year, part of an annual attendance of 700,000. The Festival alone is said to be worth UK£50 million to the local economy.

This will be the Jockey clubs largest single investment in facilities and adds to the UK£80 million invested in Cheltenham Racecourse in the past 30 years.