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An exciting new bar and restaurant is set to open in a busy part of Chelmsford next month. The former Faces nightclub site in the city, near to the Odeon cinema and Meadows Shopping Centre, will reopen as Salt and Cellar in June.
The premises on Kings Head Walk, which overlooks the River Can, will offer a variety of food and drink options, potentially becoming a go-to for people keen for a new place to socialise. It will host brunch parties with live music from saxophonists weaving between tables, DJs and singers before a journey through 80s, 90s, soulful Afro and house classic music in the evenings.
The premises on Kings Head Walk, which overlooks the River Can, will offer a variety of food and drink options, potentially becoming a go-to for people keen for a new place to socialise. It will host brunch parties with live music from saxophonists weaving between tables, DJs and singers before a journey through 80s, 90s, soulful Afro and house classic music in the evenings.
Chelmsford supports bigger and bolder celebrations for Essex Pride this June
There was something in the Racing Post or maybe one of the nationals recently to the effect that the new company wanting to take over looked strangely similar to the one who'd just ballsed up and also to the one who'd ballsed up before the last company that ballsed up.
It was the BBC.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ce8l85vme2jo
Best to read it there because there are pictures to break up the wall of text but I shall paste it in the next comment.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ce8l85vme2jo
Best to read it there because there are pictures to break up the wall of text but I shall paste it in the next comment.
What is going on at troubled Chelmsford City Racecourse?
2 May 2026
There was great fanfare when Chelmsford City Racecourse, then known as Great Leighs, became the first track to open in Britain for 81 years.
Today, 18 years on, it is known as the racecourse that can no longer host racing.
A spiralling chain of events that started with chaos after a Justin Timberlake concert in July led to the venue losing its racing licence in April.
What is going on at Chelmsford City Racecourse?
It is not the first time Chelmsford's site, within an hour's drive of Newmarket, has had to take a racing hiatus.
Shortly after it opened as Great Leighs Racecourse in 2008, the gates were shut again after its parent company racked up debts of £25m and went into administration.
Seven years later, the track was revived and reopened under the name it uses today, enjoying a successful spell of business.
That was to come crashing down via, unusually for horse racing, the form of 10-time Grammy Award winner Justin Timberlake.
His performance at the venue was supposed to have been a watershed moment. It had held festivals and shows before, but not by anyone of the pop star Timberlake's calibre.
But traffic chaos and "catastrophic" failures in crowd management led Essex Police to say people could have died that night on 4 July 2025.
Some of the 25,000 concert-goers abandoned their cars and walked up the A131 when queues to leave the venue were up to four hours long.
"It felt like something really bad was going to happen at any minute," remembers Liam Smith, 34, who was at the gig.
"I can't quite believe people were just allowed to do that, it seems a bit crazy to me."
Racecourse chiefs were hauled before a panel at Chelmsford City Council, who ruled in September 2025 that it could no longer host music events for more than 10,000 people.
Chief executive Nathan Holmes later apologised for the disruption and said visitor safety was his "highest priority".
Yet another blow was to follow, with the track's tenant, Great Leighs Estates Ltd (GLEL), indicating an intention to appoint administrators.
The BBC reported this in February, having seen paperwork filed at the High Court.
Accounts submitted to Companies House also suggested GLEL made a loss of £11.8m in the year to 30 August 2023.
The racecourse insisted it was undergoing a "restructuring process" and that all fixtures were "unaffected and will continue to be unaffected".
A new tenant, Golden Mile Racing Ltd (GMRL), took over and applied for a fresh racing licence, but, looking beneath its veneer, it appeared to be the same old faces.
Its directors - Neil Graham, Philip Siers and Nathan Holmes, son of track founder John Holmes - were almost identical to GLEL, whose board consisted of Graham, Siers and John Holmes.
"I'm not sure how much they are even trying to mask everything," says Peter Scargill, deputy industry editor at Racing Post.
Ultimately, GMRL's bid was refused by the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) and, despite promises made, all races were cancelled.
Scargill continues: "Gradually over time, the Holmes family have exerted more influence over the racecourse.
"The Holmes' involvement is something the BHA is uncertain of, because the racecourse has run into financial difficulties twice.
"They're nervous if they were to licence a new organisation it might happen again."
The racecourse hit out at the BHA within hours of its decision, indicating a desire to appeal and saying it was "not done fighting".
It claimed the BHA had introduced "new challenges with extremely limited time for response", adding the track's "performance, capability, safety" or quality had not been in question.
The regulator said the reasons for refusing the licence were "confidential".
In an updated statement provided to the BBC, a spokesman for the racecourse said it was "working closely" with the BHA to resume racing ahead of the summer programme of fixtures.
"Non-racing events will continue as planned, including the Run Away festival next month," he added.
Scargill says the row was not surprising for many in horse racing circles.
"It had been building towards this. There had been an undercurrent for a while about how it's operating," he says of Chelmsford.
"I don't think they'd be naive or absent enough to wonder where this has come from; the issue is why this wasn't dealt with sooner."
The journalist says while punters may not be bothered about the saga, the racecourse's reputation will have suffered within the industry.
He adds: "They can't operate as a venue any longer, so they cease to be a racing ground and effectively become an empty field with some stands.
"It is incredibly rare that a venue will not be licensed."
The BBC approached GLEL for an updated comment but did not receive a response.
2 May 2026
There was great fanfare when Chelmsford City Racecourse, then known as Great Leighs, became the first track to open in Britain for 81 years.
Today, 18 years on, it is known as the racecourse that can no longer host racing.
A spiralling chain of events that started with chaos after a Justin Timberlake concert in July led to the venue losing its racing licence in April.
What is going on at Chelmsford City Racecourse?
It is not the first time Chelmsford's site, within an hour's drive of Newmarket, has had to take a racing hiatus.
Shortly after it opened as Great Leighs Racecourse in 2008, the gates were shut again after its parent company racked up debts of £25m and went into administration.
Seven years later, the track was revived and reopened under the name it uses today, enjoying a successful spell of business.
That was to come crashing down via, unusually for horse racing, the form of 10-time Grammy Award winner Justin Timberlake.
His performance at the venue was supposed to have been a watershed moment. It had held festivals and shows before, but not by anyone of the pop star Timberlake's calibre.
But traffic chaos and "catastrophic" failures in crowd management led Essex Police to say people could have died that night on 4 July 2025.
Some of the 25,000 concert-goers abandoned their cars and walked up the A131 when queues to leave the venue were up to four hours long.
"It felt like something really bad was going to happen at any minute," remembers Liam Smith, 34, who was at the gig.
"I can't quite believe people were just allowed to do that, it seems a bit crazy to me."
Racecourse chiefs were hauled before a panel at Chelmsford City Council, who ruled in September 2025 that it could no longer host music events for more than 10,000 people.
Chief executive Nathan Holmes later apologised for the disruption and said visitor safety was his "highest priority".
Yet another blow was to follow, with the track's tenant, Great Leighs Estates Ltd (GLEL), indicating an intention to appoint administrators.
The BBC reported this in February, having seen paperwork filed at the High Court.
Accounts submitted to Companies House also suggested GLEL made a loss of £11.8m in the year to 30 August 2023.
The racecourse insisted it was undergoing a "restructuring process" and that all fixtures were "unaffected and will continue to be unaffected".
A new tenant, Golden Mile Racing Ltd (GMRL), took over and applied for a fresh racing licence, but, looking beneath its veneer, it appeared to be the same old faces.
Its directors - Neil Graham, Philip Siers and Nathan Holmes, son of track founder John Holmes - were almost identical to GLEL, whose board consisted of Graham, Siers and John Holmes.
"I'm not sure how much they are even trying to mask everything," says Peter Scargill, deputy industry editor at Racing Post.
Ultimately, GMRL's bid was refused by the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) and, despite promises made, all races were cancelled.
Scargill continues: "Gradually over time, the Holmes family have exerted more influence over the racecourse.
"The Holmes' involvement is something the BHA is uncertain of, because the racecourse has run into financial difficulties twice.
"They're nervous if they were to licence a new organisation it might happen again."
The racecourse hit out at the BHA within hours of its decision, indicating a desire to appeal and saying it was "not done fighting".
It claimed the BHA had introduced "new challenges with extremely limited time for response", adding the track's "performance, capability, safety" or quality had not been in question.
The regulator said the reasons for refusing the licence were "confidential".
In an updated statement provided to the BBC, a spokesman for the racecourse said it was "working closely" with the BHA to resume racing ahead of the summer programme of fixtures.
"Non-racing events will continue as planned, including the Run Away festival next month," he added.
Scargill says the row was not surprising for many in horse racing circles.
"It had been building towards this. There had been an undercurrent for a while about how it's operating," he says of Chelmsford.
"I don't think they'd be naive or absent enough to wonder where this has come from; the issue is why this wasn't dealt with sooner."
The journalist says while punters may not be bothered about the saga, the racecourse's reputation will have suffered within the industry.
He adds: "They can't operate as a venue any longer, so they cease to be a racing ground and effectively become an empty field with some stands.
"It is incredibly rare that a venue will not be licensed."
The BBC approached GLEL for an updated comment but did not receive a response.
Canary in the coalmine or an isolated case? We have seen cancellations of meetings at Brighton, Plumpton, Cheltenham and Worcester recently. Yes the weather is a big factor but will that only get worse if the climate change theories are correct. The difference with Chelmsford is that it is an AW track that should be having less headaches with the racing surface. As racing feels more and more pressure from the Gambling Commission plans, there has to be a consolidation with the loss of a few of the smaller tracks. Less money for prizes, less horses in training. Every indicator apart from attendances is negative.
The extent of the financial hole in which Chelmsford finds itself has emerged following the publication of the administrator’s initial report, which itemises an estimated £22.2 million owed to a variety of creditors by
Great Leighs Estates Limited (GLEL).
Chelmsford has not raced since March, since when six fixtures have been moved to other tracks.
On April 1, an application by Golden Mile Racing Limited (GMRL) to take over the running of Chelmsford was rejected by the BHA, although an appeal has been lodged against that decision.
In a detailed 39-page summary covering GLEL's financial situation and the chance of recovering money owed to its creditors, administrator Begbies Traynor concludes the company has no viable commercial future.
Referring to the aims of administration set out in the 1980 Administration Act, the report states: “At present, we do not consider it is reasonably practicable to achieve the objective specified, being a rescue of the company as a going concern. Should this position change, and a rescue of the company is deemed possible, the administrators will circulate revised proposals at the appropriate time.
“Consequently, the most appropriate objective to pursue in this case is achieving a better result for the company's creditors as a whole than would be likely if the company were wound up (without first being in administration).
“This will be achieved by the disposal of the company’s remaining assets, being the freehold land and racing fixtures, and lease of the racing fixtures in the interim period. The administrators propose to remain in office in order to conclude the realisation of the company's assets.”
GLEL underwent a restructuring in 2024, and year-end losses before tax have reduced from £11.9m in 2023 to £7.6m in 2024 and £3.3m in 2025.
An estimated £19m of the total debt belongs to E-Money Capital, who the administrator reports has raised no objection to the proposed course of action.
Detailing the course of events which led to GLEL's predicament, the report highlights GLEL’s belief that a reduction in fixtures allocated to Chelmsford since racing restarted there in 2015 has damaged revenues, and also lifts the lid on two major financial setbacks involving a new floodlight system and the fallout from a chaotic music event staged last summer.
In 2022, the company contracted Musco Lighting Europe to install new floodlights at a cost of £2.4m, only for a number of the new units to be damaged in a storm, leading to Chelmsford losing several fixtures.
In September 2025, GLEL entered into a settlement agreement with Musco, but has not been able to keep to the payment schedule, with Musco this year winning a judgement to recover the money.
Live Nation is suing GLEL for more than £668,614 – with GLEL issuing a counter-claim – after a concert headlined by Justin Timberlake, which attracted 25,000 people, ended in major issues for fans trying to leave. That led to Chelmsford City Council capping attendance for future music festivals at 10,000.
On May 7, the BHA took three further fixtures away from Chelmsford. The May 14 meeting was cancelled, with two races rescheduled for Newmarket and Wolverhampton, while the May 21 fixture was moved to Southwell.
The June 4 meeting has gone to Lingfield, while the BHA's communication which accompanied the May 7 announcement said no consideration could be given to racing returning to Chelmsford until the licensing committee has heard the appeal by GMRL.
The BHA and Chelmsford have been approached for comment.
https://www.racingpost.com/news/britain/chelmsford-financial-predicament-laid-bare-after-administrators-report-reveals-great-leighs-estimated-22.2m-debt-aNGcJ8P3QI67
===============================
Abso basket case. prolly followed with litigation abound in due course.
Great Leighs Estates Limited (GLEL).
Chelmsford has not raced since March, since when six fixtures have been moved to other tracks.
On April 1, an application by Golden Mile Racing Limited (GMRL) to take over the running of Chelmsford was rejected by the BHA, although an appeal has been lodged against that decision.
In a detailed 39-page summary covering GLEL's financial situation and the chance of recovering money owed to its creditors, administrator Begbies Traynor concludes the company has no viable commercial future.
Referring to the aims of administration set out in the 1980 Administration Act, the report states: “At present, we do not consider it is reasonably practicable to achieve the objective specified, being a rescue of the company as a going concern. Should this position change, and a rescue of the company is deemed possible, the administrators will circulate revised proposals at the appropriate time.
“Consequently, the most appropriate objective to pursue in this case is achieving a better result for the company's creditors as a whole than would be likely if the company were wound up (without first being in administration).
“This will be achieved by the disposal of the company’s remaining assets, being the freehold land and racing fixtures, and lease of the racing fixtures in the interim period. The administrators propose to remain in office in order to conclude the realisation of the company's assets.”
GLEL underwent a restructuring in 2024, and year-end losses before tax have reduced from £11.9m in 2023 to £7.6m in 2024 and £3.3m in 2025.
An estimated £19m of the total debt belongs to E-Money Capital, who the administrator reports has raised no objection to the proposed course of action.
Detailing the course of events which led to GLEL's predicament, the report highlights GLEL’s belief that a reduction in fixtures allocated to Chelmsford since racing restarted there in 2015 has damaged revenues, and also lifts the lid on two major financial setbacks involving a new floodlight system and the fallout from a chaotic music event staged last summer.
In 2022, the company contracted Musco Lighting Europe to install new floodlights at a cost of £2.4m, only for a number of the new units to be damaged in a storm, leading to Chelmsford losing several fixtures.
In September 2025, GLEL entered into a settlement agreement with Musco, but has not been able to keep to the payment schedule, with Musco this year winning a judgement to recover the money.
Live Nation is suing GLEL for more than £668,614 – with GLEL issuing a counter-claim – after a concert headlined by Justin Timberlake, which attracted 25,000 people, ended in major issues for fans trying to leave. That led to Chelmsford City Council capping attendance for future music festivals at 10,000.
On May 7, the BHA took three further fixtures away from Chelmsford. The May 14 meeting was cancelled, with two races rescheduled for Newmarket and Wolverhampton, while the May 21 fixture was moved to Southwell.
The June 4 meeting has gone to Lingfield, while the BHA's communication which accompanied the May 7 announcement said no consideration could be given to racing returning to Chelmsford until the licensing committee has heard the appeal by GMRL.
The BHA and Chelmsford have been approached for comment.
https://www.racingpost.com/news/britain/chelmsford-financial-predicament-laid-bare-after-administrators-report-reveals-great-leighs-estimated-22.2m-debt-aNGcJ8P3QI67
===============================
Abso basket case. prolly followed with litigation abound in due course.
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