York Racecourse is proud that the Sky Bet Ebor Festival (Wednesday 21- Saturday 24 August) will see the official opening of the latest improvements to racegoer facilities, as the Southern End Development will be fully in use, for all stand side racegoers to access and enjoy.  This capital investment forms the latest step in the ongoing infrastructure masterplan to further improve facilities for horses, participants and racegoers at York as one of the best racecourses in the world.

This commitment to improve the experience of racing at York continues with the focus being the area that lies to the south of the Knavesmire Stand and behind the Bustardthorpe Stand. An ambitious planning application was submitted in July last year, with work commencing immediately after the last race of 2023 and has now seen a multi-million-pound investment to further improve this area, principally for Grandstand & Paddock racegoers.

On arrival, racegoers will see a set of wrought-iron gates created by local blacksmith Andrew Brind, dedicated to the memory of Reg Bond, a successful Yorkshire businessman and a leading example of the joys of being a racehorse owner/breeder.

The Roberto Pavilion provides a fast-serve bar, fish & chip shop and cocktail/Pimm’s bar, as well as both tote & William Hill outlets.  This sleek, single-storey, slate-roofed, brick building complete with signature York Racecourse red, white and blue barber poles, contains high tech kit to swiftly serve racegoers.  The development makes use of 70,000 specially commissioned bricks from local family run business, York Handmade Bricks – appropriately named the Ebor Range!

Further to the south, the newly created 900 sqm Churchill Tyres Lawn and Canopy, should be a great spot to relax, follow the action on the big screen, or listen to the live band.

Flanking the lawn are food outlets, alongside an improved Theakston Bar and Guinness Bar.

A state-of-the-art William Hill betting shop has reopened, offering interactive touch screens that can display the Racing Post SmartView racecards.

With an eye on practical needs there are both a new block of toilets and a refurbishment of the ones that existed in this area.

Beyond a feature brick wall edged by white rose borders and topped by coping stones reclaimed from one of the original buildings, will sit a new, expansive staff welfare area and canteen, as well as some hot desk workspace, cold rooms and much needed storage.

The project has included refurbishing the 1913 Bustardthorpe Stand, an example of the work of Walter Brierley, a celebrated York architect. To the trackside this has included a leveling of the viewing stepping’s, with maintenance work to waterproof and extend the life of the building.

In keeping with the Green Knavesmire 300 commitment, a host of sustainability features have been embedded: a living roof, rainwater harvesting, pollinator flowerbeds and solar panels being examples. The solar panels will provide the power to run the development, from the energy saving LED lighting to the HD televisions and tills. The new canopy offers wet weather shelter while at the same time allowing the grass lawn to grow, more than that, it collects the water down its supporting legs and into a 16,000-litre holding tank; this “grey water” can then be used to flush the toilets. Using RHS approved pollinators, a run of floral displays that would stretch a furlong, add to the summer feel of the development.

The scheme was overseen by Yorkshire firm Dawson Williamson Architects, with the main contractor being York-based, Lindum. Some 90% of the trades that worked on the project were also Yorkshire operations, with many of them due to attend over the festival, to see the fruits of their labour being enjoyed.

Speaking about the development, William Derby, Chief Executive and Clerk of the Course said, “I’m really looking forward to welcoming racegoers to the Sky Bet Ebor Festival to enjoy this improved space.  The transformation of this area in just nine months has been phenomenal, it is a tribute to the vision of the York Race Committee, as well as to the hard work of our amazing design, build and internal teams.  We hope it will be enjoyed by generations of racegoers to come.  I am most proud that we have stayed true to our environmental principles, so I am confident in saying this is the most sustainable development on a racecourse to date, in keeping with our Green Knavesmire 300 commitment.   Having battled a very wet winter to deliver the project, the long-term sustainability of our planet was on our minds throughout. Racegoers can now look forward to a pint of our special Theakston IPA, while they watch the big screen to see whether they can collect any winnings from either the tote or William Hill, knowing that a Fish Supper is nearby, in celebration or consolation.”

The Southern End Development will be formally opened during the Sky Bet Ebor Festival.

Click here for a document highlighting the environmental aspects of the development.