Thirsk Racecourse to undergo £5m renovation

An application to demolish the 1960s stand and build a three-storey facility has been lodged with North Yorkshire Council, with designs by KCA Architects.

The building would have a bar open to the public on the ground floor, a private dining room on the first floor, and a roof terrace on the second floor.

Subject to planning and finance, work could start this September and would take around 18 months to complete.

If permission isn’t granted by this September, the racecourse would wait until next September to begin works, with the course operating as normal while the project is complete.

Plans for the stand aim to modernise and upgrade the racecourse into a more upmarket environment.

The current stand is described as ‘outdated’ and with ‘numerous structural issues’ in the D&A statement, with a recommendation from structural engineers that it be demolished.

James Sanderson, chief executive of Thirsk Racecourse, said: “We’ve patched and patched the stand over the last few years but it’s come to the end of its useful life and we need to look to the future.

“If you’re not going forward in racing you’re going backwards, and we don’t want to do that.

“Racing is a very good sport and we’ve got to modernise to attract the next generation of racegoers and keep the current generation happy.”