It stands on what was once Europe’s largest opencast mine but now Ffos Las is to become a centre for hundreds of luxury homes – as well as being Britain’s newest racecourse.
Ffos Las Racecourse
Carmarthenshire councillors have come out in favour of plans to establish a further 280 houses at the Ffos Las Racecourse in Trimsaran on top of the 248 which already have planning permission.
Members of the council’s planning committee have backed an outline application for the extra homes by Ffos Las Ltd bringing the total on the site to 528.
Work has already started on the first 248 homes and the 280 extra houses will be built directly to the south of Carway.
The homes will be clustered in the rolling countryside around Ffos Las which has been a major success in its first year of operation. Community benefits under the housing scheme include that 15% of the properties should be affordable housing and that £200,000 should be given towards community facilities.
The approval is subject to an assessment in accordance with the Habitat Regulations 2010 being agreed by the Countryside Council for Wales and to the completion of a Section 106 legal agreement on community benefits and sewerage issues.
Meanwhile, racing continues to be the lifeblood of Ffos Las with the course announcing it will have a different theme for each day of its first Tote- sponsored three-day meeting from August 25-27, which has £190,000 in prize-money on offer to top jockeys.
Wednesday evening is Wild West night, Thursday is family fun day, and Friday’s mixed fare of flat and jumps racing, is ladies’ day, with prizes for the best-dressed lady and man, and best hat.
Ffos Las has now picked up its fifth professional and consumer award since Christmas.
The latest honour for Britain’s newest racecourse comes from Local Authority Building Control in Wales which recognised the racecourse for “technical innovation” in its building excellence awards.
Ffos Las now goes forward to the UK awards in London in November.
And Carmarthen East and Dinefwr MP Jonathan Edwards has lodged an early day motion in the House of Commons congratulating the course on its first year in business.
Ffos Las was once the site of the largest opencast mine in Europe and was 500ft deep. It operated from 1983 to 1997.
