Plans which will keep Chester Racecourse among the frontrunners in UK horse racing have gone on show to the public.

The £100m masterplan went on display at an open exhibition at the racecourse’s Pavillion Suite this week.

The plans feature a three-level car park off New Crane Street, a 1,000-seater conference centre, a new grandstand building and an extension to the Holiday Inn.

Chester Race Company project manager Chris Clayton said: “The board felt that we need a strategy to direct the business both from a racing point of view and for non-racing events, so this provides a long-term plan for the company.

“This is a long-term strategy to cover the next 15 or 20 years.

“We are trying to ensure that the racing at Chester gets better and better and also maintain our position as one of the UK’s top racecourses. We also want to make sure we can provide new facilities for all year round events because obviously this is a prime city centre site.”

Mr Clayton added the transformation would be done in phases and the company could not set a target for completion.

“Each building can be built in isolation so it can be done over a number of years,” he said. “We will be looking for planning permission in two or three months time when the application will go in. We are hoping to get the support of local people and the council and if we are granted consent then we can plan accordingly.”

Work is already under way on a new public entrance to the County enclosure.