Nick Timothy, the MP for West Suffolk, has written to Flagship Housing — which owns land and property at Icewell Hill, Regents Court, Churchill Court St. Mary’s Square and Exning Road — to emphasise the need to listen carefully to Newmarket’s residents and elected representatives in redeveloping the estate.
He also wrote to Newmarket Town Council. You can see both of Mr Timothy’s letters, dated 7 October 2025, below.
Mr Timothy said the Masterplan that has already been produced was not fit for purpose and called for the process of consultation to begin again, bringing the whole community into the process.
“I am asking for your clear commitment that the Masterplan that has been produced will not in any way form part of the material consideration for the eventual application and that you will only develop the vision for this site in step consultation with the town and its representatives”, Mr Timothy said in his letter to Flagship’s CEO Robert Nettleton.
The MP also wrote to Newmarket Town Council to express his view that the Masterplan needs to be totally redone in parallel with careful coordination with the community and to call for significant investment in the town alongside the redevelopment as services and infrastructure are already at capacity.
Commenting, Mr Timothy said:
“We must get this development right. I have written to Flagship, the owners, to make clear my view that local residents and elected representatives must have be allowed to have significant input into the nature and scale of this project.
“The Masterplan as it stands is not fit for purpose, would be inappropriate for the town and risks re-creating the problems that the redevelopment is aimed at fixing.
“And there has not been enough consultation with the community about what the vision for this important site at the heart of Newmarket should be.
“My own view is that the final plan must have a good number of homes with a density that is sensible for a town of Newmarket’s size. Residents must also have their own space and gardens, and there must be a clear delineation between public and private space – because this is what helps to cut crime and anti-social behaviour.
“I am working hard on this matter alongside Newmarket’s local councillors, and I am pleased there is some consensus across the local parties.”
LETTER FROM NICK TIMOTHY MP TO FLAGSHIP
