A new equine hospital at Fakenham racecourse, (pictured) in Norfolk, has got the go-ahead after North Norfolk District Council approved plans submitted by Wensum Valley Veterinary Surgery.
The new centre will provide Wensum Valley vets with diagnostic facilitieson site and will be equipped to treat injured or sick racehorses at the course.
The project is the brainchild of practice partners Toby Kemble and David Feenley, who is Fakenham’s raceday vet.
“We first started making business plans to build an equine centre when we went into partnership four years ago,” explains David. “We hoped to have something set up in five to 10 years, so the fact we are able to start work within four is really encouraging.”
The new surgery will be based on two acres of freehold land, which the pair purchased from the racecourse. The centre will provide on-site stabling for five horses as well as two diagnostic areas, “knock-down” room/operating theatre, x-ray and endoscopy facilities and an equine dental clinic.
Work is expected to start at the beginning of September, with the project ready to accept its first patient in the spring of 2004. However, before building work can start, there are a few details to be ironed out and a new entrance road will need to be built to deal with both clients and racegoers.
Fakenham’s racecourse manager and clerk, David Hunter says: “The presence of this new equine hospital will be a big benefit to the racecourse. It will be a huge advantage to have a specialist facility able to deal with equine casualties just a quarter of a mile from the finishing post.”
