City of York Council’s Executive will be asked to consider entering a new 99-year lease arrangement for York Racecourse at a meeting on 30 June.

The Executive will consider a report that provides an update on negotiations between the council, which owns the site, and York Racecourse. It highlights a number of proposed amendments to the existing lease to allow improvements to be made to the traffic management arrangements and facilities at the site.

The term of the current lease is 99 years from January 1957  and it covers the use and maintenance of the racetrack, as well as the right to control admission to and from the Knavesmire during race weeks.

Changes requested by the Racecourse will see the length of the lease extended to 99 years from 2008 to allow new investment to be made and the number of race days increased to up to 20. It is is also proposed that changes are made to the racetrack and that the area of land covered by the lease is altered to provide additional space in some areas and to allow other sections to revert back to the council’s management. The rent would be increased to reflect these changes and reviewed on a five-yearly basis from 2017 onwards.

It is recommended that the Executive agrees to extend the lease on these terms to enhance the position of York Racecourse and its facilities at a national and regional level. It is hoped that this will boost the local economy and, at the same time, mitigate the effects that high visitor numbers have on local residents.