The Official Gazette (BO) published yesterday an executive order, signed by Secretary for Transport and Public Works Raimundo do Rosário on May 3, declaring the grant of a piece of land comprising 363,192 square metres leased adjacent to Estrada Gov. A. Oliveira in Taipa lapsed – the Macau Jockey Club site.
Following the termination of the horse-racing concession and the halt of the Macau Jockey Club’s 44-year-long operation on April 1, the government reclaimed the site and related facilities, allocating them to Macau’s land reservation system for overall study and utilisation. However, the Jockey Club is still able to use the land for free until March 31 next year for the purpose of relocating the horses.
Macau Jockey Club (MJC), which began as the Macau Trotting Club in 1980, has reportedly been operating at a loss since 1991, with the debt reaching 2.5 billion patacas, being the reason as to why it applied, at the beginning of this year, to terminate the horse-racing concession which took effect from April 1, 2024.
When the MJC horse-racing concession expired in August 2017, the government extended it in 2018 for a period of 24 years and six months, i.e., from March 1, 2018, to August 31, 2042.
The executive order states that “in view of the termination of the MJC horse-racing concession, for reasons of legal certainty, stability and security, it was necessary to declare the expiry of the concession by lease of the land allocated for that use, with effect from April 1, 2024”, pointing out that the site will revert to the Macau Special Administrative Region (MSAR) without any compensation to be paid to the Macau Jockey Club.
Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng pledged during a Q&A session in the legislature’s hemicycle last month that no residential or casino development would be considered on the MJC site in the future, saying that the development of the site has been included in the government’s long-term planning, taking five to 10 years to develop the site into a multi-purpose venue for sport and performances, which may be complemented by facilities such as an underground carpark, and venues like an ice-skating rink, or performance venues for artistic and cultural activities.
This photo taken yesterday shows part of the Macau Jockey Club site adjacent to Estrada Gov. A. Oliveira in Taipa, which has reverted to the local government following termination of the Jockey Club’s operation. – Photo: Yuki Lei
