Chester Racecourse have submitted a planning application for a new £100million development including a new grandstand and an events and conference centre.

Chester Race Company’s long-term investment and development strategy - Masterplan 2018 - has been now been formally lodged with Cheshire West and Chester Council, and would represent an investment of around £100million over the next 15-20 years at the Roodee.

The submission follows over 12 months of consultations with council officers, amenity groups, neighbours and the general public. A well-attended public exhibition of the plans was held at the racecourse in February, offering members of the public the opportunity to view the plans in detail and provide feedback.

A separate application is being submitted for the temporary marquees in the centre of the course, most of which are expected to be relocated into the masterplan area. The marquees have a planning consent which expires in 2019 and Chester are seeking an extension until 2022, to allow time to implement a first phase of the masterplan which will remove the need for most of the marquees.

In a statement Chester Race Company said: "Masterplan 2018 presents a vision for the future of Chester Race Company and responds to a number of current and future needs:

• to secure Chester's position as a leading UK racecourse, with an international reputation by always seeking to update and improve facilities for racegoers.

• to maintain and secure long-term CRC's status as a successful local company employing over 100 permanent and around 2,000 temporary staff in Chester.

• to increase out-of-racing activity at the racecourse, to use the racecourse to its full potential as a regional venue for major events and conferences with the significant economic benefit this will bring to the city."

The applications will go to the council's Strategic Planning Committee in the autumn.