More Newbury Racecourse Christmas Carnival time applied for

Organisers of the Christmas Carnival at Newbury Racecourse have revealed they have submitted a further application to the council – to run the event for an extra seven days .

The carnival got planning permission to go ahead on Tuesday this week, despite being rejected by West Berkshire councillors last year.

This latest decision grants permission for the Christmas Carnival to take place for a period of 28 days, with a Christmas market permitted to be open for 14 days.

But the racecourse and event organisers have put in another proposal which is currently going through the normal planning process at West Berkshire Council.

This application seeks approval to allow the Great Christmas Carnival to run for a longer period of 35 days, with the Christmas market open each day.

This application has seen the council lobbied by dozens of people both for and against the proposal.

Newbury Racecourse said: “We do not believe that this limited opening maximises the benefits and opportunity potential for the Newbury community.

“We believe our current application strikes the right balance between bringing an exciting, new attraction to Newbury whilst still respecting the needs of immediate neighbours.

“If approved, the current application would deliver significant social and economic benefits for the local community and we hope for a positive outcome that reflects the support for such an event amongst local residents.”