The British Racing Drivers' Club (BRDC) has welcomed the announcement that agreement has been reached with South Northamptonshire Council on the Silverstone Development Brief following a statement to the full Council meeting last night.

It has now been agreed with South Northamptonshire Council and Aylesbury Vale District Council that the housing element of the Development Brief will be dropped from the proposals following consultations with the local community.

As a result, an updated Master Plan for the site along with the updated Development Brief has been agreed and will be adopted under delegated powers by the South Northamptonshire Council Cabinet. Aylesbury Vale District Council has already adopted the Development Brief.

The Development Brief, which sets out the vision for the future of Silverstone, continues to include upgrade of circuit facilities, a manufacturer test centre, business park, extreme sport and leisure complex, two hotels, a new university campus and a ‘Welcome Centre'. The redevelopment will deliver a world-class venue for motor sport, education and high technology development that will ensure the UK remains at the forefront of the motor sport industry.

Richard Phillips, Managing Director of Silverstone Circuits Ltd said: "We have listened closely to the local community and decided that removing the houses proposed in the Development Brief was the best way forward for the project. Overcoming this hurdle now allows us to press ahead with our plans for developing Silverstone into a world leading motor sport venue. We expect to be starting work on new facilities early in the New Year.

"We would like to thank Aylesbury Vale District Council and South Northamptonshire District Council for all the hard work they have put into securing the future of Silverstone. We are delighted that they are now fully in support of the Development Brief and we look forward to its final adoption.

"It is fair to say that there have been a number of challenges along the way, but we believe an appropriate balance has now been struck. We are on programme to be on site early next year and this will mark a new phase for motor sport in the UK."