"The future of Folkestone racecourse remains bleak after owners Arena Racing Company failed to get thumbs up for its plans from Shepway Council.
Arena announced in July the closure of Folkestone at the end of the year, but hoped it might only be temporary. That would hinge on planning permission being granted for a residential development on the site, the racecourse being redesigned and the facilities modernised. A planning inspector rejected the proposal in May and a meeting on Wednesday again brought no cheer.
A statement from Arena read: "The Board of ARC, the owners of Folkestone racecourse, are disappointed with the decision of Shepway Council to proceed with its Core Strategy Local Plan without the provision for the enhancement of the racecourse with associated residential development on the racecourse site.
"This decision has been made despite representations being made to the council which included a suggested wording for the Core Strategy which would have, in the board's view, enabled discussions to have continued with a larger degree of certainty about the future of the racecourse.
"Nevertheless, we intend to continue discussing the future of the racecourse with the Council who, we believe, remain committed to racing continuing at Folkestone, but a favourable outcome in the short term has been made more difficult to achieve."
Flat racing at the Kent track could be no more after the final scheduled fixture there on Tuesday was abandoned due to waterlogging. Folkestone now has just three jumps fixtures left before it is due to close.
Clerk of the course Neil MacKenzie Ross reported the track to be unraceable after a further 30 millimetres of rain fell on the course, and the weather is not forecast to relent sufficiently.
He said: "We've had the best part of three inches of rain now. We had another 30-plus millimetres on top of the 40mm just from Sunday. Basically we're waterlogged, not just in the dip from the five-furlong marker to the four which has produced areas of unsafe ground, there are a couple of other areas on the round course.
"While the forecast doesn't look too bad for the next couple of days, there is rain due from in and around Sunday and Monday. Peter Hobbs, the BHA inspector, came down this morning. We had a look and took the view that it is not going to recover and be raceable in time, especially if more rain comes. That was the last programmed Flat fixture. We've got three jumps fixtures to come in November and December."
A six-race card has been transferred to Wolverhampton, another course owned by Arena."
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