A building firm will evaluate development opportunities on greenbelt land at Kempton Park Racecourse that could create a traffic headache for Hampton residents.

The Jockey Club, which runs Kempton Park, has been exploring options to build on the land next to its racecourse in Staines Road East, Sunbury, and conducted a feasibility study into building 1,500 homes on the site in 2013.

Redrow Homes has been chosen to explore design issues and there are fears from residents in Hampton the development could create congestion on the A308.

Rodney Maddock, of Courtlands Avenue, said: "The traffic on that road can be hideous and it is already always very busy in the rush hour. The road is already not capable of dealing with it."

Redrow’s managing director, Jon Fletcher, said there was rightly a high level of public interest in the future of the land.

He said: "We are at a very early stage but are committed to keeping residents, businesses and stakeholders informed as we investigate.

"Local people will be able to have their say in a full community consultation once we have clear technical information to share."

Spelthorne Council’s head of planning, John Brooks, said he understands Redrow will seek to promote the site for housing through the council’s review of its local plan and not through a planning application at this stage.

In a letter to residents he said: "They are well aware of this council’s strong stance in protecting its Green Belt.

"We also understand they are looking at setting up a dedicated web page to provide a public explanation of their intentions and notifying local groups."