Jersey Lily’s stables in Newmarket could be turned into 81 new homes

A former Newmarket racing yard, whose name commemorated the daughter of a Saxon East Anglian king, could be re-developed into 81 new homes if a planning application gets the go-ahead.

Etheldreda House, which later became Brickfield Stud, was once the private stable of socialite and Royal favourite Lily Langtry, known as the Jersey Lily, whose trainer was Derby-winning jockey Fred Webb. Together they won the 1897 Cesarewitch with her Australian horse Merman.

In the 1930s the property was converted into a stud by Major Harry Keylock and continued to operate as such until 1991. In 2011 it was bought by its previous owner and used briefly as a racing yard again in 2013 but over the past decade has stood empty.

Three years ago the six and a half acres site in Exning Road was bought by developer Mintridge Strategic Land, now Colecar Strategic Land, which in 2023 unveiled plans for 80 new homes and a 64-bed care home on the site which neighbours the Cala Homes 79-home estate built on land which was once also part of the stud.

After a submission was made to the local planning authority, according to the developer an application was made by an unknown party to Historic England which resulted in two of the stable blocks on the site being listed in December 2023 meaning their future had to be secured.

A second submission was made and after a public consultation it was decided not to go ahead with the care home plan. The developer has now submitted a full planning application which includes the conversion of the listed stable buildings into 19 flats, alterations to Etheldreda House to create six new homes and a new two-storey building to provide 11 flats with parking and a new access on Exning Road and the conversion of former paddock stables and tack room into two new homes.

Outline permission is also being sought for the demolition of a bungalow called Hazeldene which would be replace with one property with up to 42 new homes on the rear of the site.

In a statement submitted to the planning authority the developer said: “At its heart the proposed development seeks to regenerate a site that has been declining over recent years by securing the long term future of a number of listed buildings that have lain vacant and deteriorated for some time due to the site’s unsuitability for its former use and bring forward a new development that will be appropriate to the setting of those listed buildings.”