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KEMPTON PARK is still at risk of being closed and knocked down for housing.

The Jockey Club announced in January 2017 they were selling off the racecourse to developers in a bid to raise £100 million.

PA

Kempton Park has been at risk of redevelopment since 2017[/caption]

Dan Charity

Builders Redrow have exclusive rights to buy the land at Kempton[/caption]

But the track was given a reprieve when those plans hit the buffers in the face of opposition from Spelthorne Council and a number of high-profile racing industry figures.

So the Jockey Club sold an ‘option to purchase’ to builders Redrow in September 2018, Sunracing can reveal, meaning they can buy the land for development during a set timeframe whenever they want for a pre-agreed price.

The expiry date on the agreement is in 2028, though it can be extended a further two years if Redrow express interest in going ahead with the purchase of the 230-acre site, either in its entirety or part of it.

The Jockey Club has not hidden its desire to sell off land at Kempton for housing to raise much needed funds, and in February 2020 they announced revised plans to develop on part of the site which would not involve demolishing the home of the King George.

But those plans were also scuppered by the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic and the Jockey Club remains in a deep financial hole, with the last set of accounts published last summer showing they have around £54 million of debt.

Spelthorne Council said eight years ago the site was unlikely to be considered for housing eight as it was deemed ‘strongly performing’ green belt land.

But the new Labour government has relaxed planning laws to encourage house building, with the aim to build 1.5 million new homes before the next election.

The Jockey Club dismissed recent speculation on social media that the racecourse was to be closed at the end of next year, but there is a desperate need for housing in Surrey and Redrow is still interested in developing the site, for all they have yet to trigger their option to buy the land.

A Redrow spokesperson said: “We have an agreement with the Jockey Club to promote Kempton Park for development, lasting until 2030.

“Since this agreement was made, we have been reviewing whether the site, or parts of it, could assist with the delivery of much needed new housing in Surrey.”

The Jockey Club said: “Since 2018, Redrow have had the exclusive right to promote Kempton Park as a potential site for residential development, lasting until 2028.

“Since the agreement came into effect it has been entirely normal procedure for there to be ongoing discussions to see if the site, or parts of it, could play a part in addressing the need for houses in the local area.

“Given the recent changes in wider planning policy, it is no surprise that those discussions are continuing, but in real terms there has been no change in Kempton Park’s status.”

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IS it time for the iPhone to get a new name? Absolutely – and it’s looking likelier than ever.

Today, Apple decided to totally rebrand its operating systems. That’s what your gadgets run on. We’ve got iOS for iPhone, iPadOS for iPad, macOS for Mac, and so on.

Apple

Apple has adopted a brand new glossy look[/caption]

Apple

The iPhone 16 came out in 2024 – but there’s no giveaway in the name[/caption]

Apple

Apple’s chief Tim Cook took to the stage at WWDC 2025[/caption]

Their names had become a bit mad, honestly.

This year, we were expecting to see iOS 19, iPadOS 19, macOS 16, tvOS 19, watchOS 12, and visionOS 3. What a mess!

Thankfully Apple finally (and sensibly) said iBye to that nonsense, and replaced all of those numbers with the year.

So now we’ve got  iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS 26, tvOS 26, watchOS 26, and visionOS 26 all due out later this year – and only likely to be replaced in September 2026. Then we’ll get 27, presumably.

Now anyone can look at their iPhone and easily work out whether it’s running the latest software.

And if you’re buying a new model, it’s fairly easy to check if it can get the latest download – or if it’s going to be left abandoned without updates, features, and security fixes.

Yearly naming is just common sense.

You can see where I’m going with this. Apple, it’s time to do the same for iPhone.

Later this year, Apple is widely expected to launch the iPhone 17. Please don’t.

Call it the iPhone 26 instead and be done with it.

As a technology journalist, I’m regularly asked the same questions by people. “What’s the latest iPhone?”, “is that the latest iPhone?”, “what iPhone are we on now?”, and “is my iPhone the newest one?”.

I don’t blame people for not keeping up. It’s messy – but easily fixed.

It wouldn’t be the first time Apple had skipped a number.

Long-time Apple watchers will not that there never was an iPhone 9.

Apple

Apple has finally synced up its naming system for software[/caption]

We went straight from iPhone 8 to the (still curiously named) iPhone X, which stood for iPhone 10. This came out in 2017 in celebration of the 10-year iPhone anniversary.

But we needn’t wait for 2027 for another iPhone rebrand. Let’s just get on with it.

Apple is also clearly willing to experiment.

Remember the the iPhone 3GS? The iPhone XS? The iPhone 5C? Last year’s iPhone 16e? They all had weird names, and Apple still flogged bucketloads of them.

Changing the name of the iPhone clearly isn’t a mortal wound.

So let’s ditch this whole bonkers naming system and just call it iPhone 26.

It’ll get a few jokes on the first year, and then no one will think twice about it. It’ll just work.

Samsung is already playing ball.

Samsung

Samsung’s Galaxy S25 came out in 2025 – it’s common sense[/caption]

This year it released the Samsung Galaxy S25. The year before that? The Galaxy S24. And before that? The S23. Nice sensible names. Names you can take home to your parents.

Last year, Apple put out an iPhone 16 running iOS 18, that you could pair with an Apple Watch Series 10 and a pair of Apple AirPods 4. I spend all of my time thinking about tech, and even I struggle to keep up.

It makes sense for other products to not follow a yearly system.

The successor to the PlayStation 5 should not be called the PlayStation 2028.

That will only beg the question “is there a PlayStation 2029?” the very next year. Parents would be driven to insanity.

But for annual (or near-annual) products – like the iPhone and software updates– it makes much more sense to just go with the year.

There’s probably some marketing guru in Apple’s Cupertino, California HQ worriedly predicting that releasing new iPhones with yearly names will make the old models sound even older – and put people off.

But that might also drive people to snap up the newer models too, so the grand Apple coffers won’t go empty.

And it’ll make it easier to buy older gadgets and refurbished devices, which is good for wallets and the planet.

It’s time to get with the times. Literally.

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This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire

Even Grok can't get its story straight.

DO you imagine yourself leaving the Dublin Bus commute behind to soak up the sun after work sipping a cheap glass of wine in your local Spanish square?

That’s exactly what Jessica Baker-Daza did when she swapped Wicklow for Malaga, buying two houses in less than nine years in the Spanish sunspot.

Getty

Jessica bought a property right by the beach for €129k when she first moved[/caption]

Jessica was first drawn to Spain when she jetted over to teach kids English.

Returning to UCD to finish her degree, she decided to make the move to Spain for a brand new life in 2016.

And it’s a case of work imitating life, as the Spain expert now runs her own company –Decipher Spain – to assist other expats who are planning to relocate to the sun.

It was getting on the property ladder and the prospect of better work-life balance that drew her to Malaga and she bought her first Spanish abode at the age of just 28 in a small Malaga suburb.

Five years later, she bought a country finca – a rural property on a larger plot of land.

Jessica told the Irish Sun: “The property that I bought in 2017, which was right by the beach cost me €129,000.

“I sold that five years later for €280,000. 

“I bought a house inland, 30 minutes from Malaga city, along the train line.

“I bought a house with a garden, a pool, and space for my chickens, my dog and horse for €182,000.”

But while the benefits of relocating to Spain go beyond warm weather, property prices haven’t stayed so low.

The 37-year-old said: “I have been looking at prices now in the area. There’s no prices like that. Prices are just going up and up and up.

“But obviously the weather is pleasant all year round. If you’re moving with children, it’s a very child-friendly place to live. 

“You can eat out cheaper than you can at home. There’s lots of benefits but it does depend on what you’re looking for.”

For Jessica, a major plus of her new Spain life was ditching the Dublin commute. 

She said: “I lived in Greystones and I had to commute to Ballsbridge for work.

“The transport in Dublin is notoriously not brilliant. Nothing is connected. 

“Here transport is better connected in general, throughout Spain.”

Another bonus for the Greystones native is living in a city while still being “close to the sea”. 

Jessica said: “I feel like I was very privileged in where I was able to buy my first house and I feel privileged to have the one I have now as well. 

“Life is a little bit slower. You don’t have to constantly be planning ahead.”

Jessica warned people who are considering relocating that life won’t be a holiday. 

READY FOR REALITY

She explained: “One of the most important things to keep in mind when considering a move to Spain is to be really aware of what life is going to look like day to day when the novelty wears off. 

“Get a real handle on what the rental market looks like and what will be expected of you as a newly arrived foreigner. 

“Understand what taxes look like and what you will be liable for even if you have permission to work remotely. 

“If you want to start a business or work remotely, be really aware of what that entails.”

While living in the sun is a dream for many, Jessica revealed there’s a lot to plan before hoping on a plane. 

And she told how Malaga’s renting scene is now similar to Dublin. 

She said: “I always say to my clients, when I was making the decision to come to Malaga, the same decision making process would not apply if I was doing it now in 2025 as to when I was doing it in 2016.

“When it comes to renting, when it comes to buying property – it’s pretty much to Dublin standard

“It’s purely because when I was moving here in 2016, I wanted to get on the property ladder. 

“I wanted bilingual job opportunities, I wanted to be near an airport.

“Weather fine, but it wasn’t a big decider for me at that time in my life.

“That has now all changed. At the time [it was] brilliant.”

AREAS TO PICK FROM

The Spain enthusiast suggested that wannabe Spanish home hunters look at “underrated” areas like the northern coast, Murcia, Granada or Cádiz.

Jessica said: “At the time of moving, I was able to do what I aimed to do.

“That was…buy a property, have a better work-life balance. Not have that terrible daily to-and-fro commute. 

“There were a lot of things that were positive about the move and are still positive. 

“But would I have the exact same experience now if I did it in 2025… possibly not in this part of Spain.

“If I was doing it again [now], I’d choose somewhere different.”

Jessica urged those with dreams of relocating to have a financial plan in place and be aware that taxes are higher. 

She said: “I speak to people very often who are moving from Ireland and they were bowled over because a landlord has asked for six months rent upfront and they weren’t expecting it.

“You have to understand how the rental market works, how it moves and what you are capable of financially. 

“Understand the tax system. A lot of the time people say ‘I’m going to move to Spain and I will save money’. You don’t necessarily because taxes here are higher. 

“You have to be ready for certain things to be harder, that make up for the good.”

Jessica said expats can get fixated on popular spots like Costa Del Sol but Spain offers so much more to explore.

She said: “Remember that Spain is huge, full of different cultures, languages, and gastronomy, a move to Spain doesn’t have to be synonymous with a move to the Costa del Sol. 

“There is so much more to Spain than the holiday-heavy coasts, and if you find that where you initially touch down doesn’t suit you, you can move within Spain, often with a better idea of where will suit you. 

“Travel as much as you can, stay curious about the cultures within the country.”

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