Meydan may be mixed blessing

The 7,000,000m² Meydan “horse racing city” will result in the redevelopment of the Nad Al Sheba Golf Course.

Dubai Racing Club (DRC) has announced that Nad Al Sheba golf course is to close on June 1 to allow work to begin on a 7,000,000m² "horse racing city" development.

"It is going to be home to the business community, owners, trainers, riders," said DRC chairman, Saeed Al Tayer.

Scheduled to open in time for the 2010 Dubai World Cup, the new Meydan project will feature dirt and turf tracks, as well as a 55-60,000-seat grandstand. A hotel, 10 restaurants and a museum will also form part of the project.

"The racing season will carry on as normal until the target date as the state-of-the-art grandstand can be completed without affecting the action at Nad Al Sheba," said DRC CEO Frank Gabriel Jr.

While the racing action can continue uninterrupted, the Meydan project will involve the redevelopment of the entire Nad Al Sheba area, including the popular golf course, which hosts approximately 70,000 rounds a year.

Dubai Golf, which owns and operates the Nad Al Sheba Course, has promised it will attempt to find alternative jobs for the club's 250-plus staff at its two other courses, Emirates Golf Club and Dubai Creek Golf Club. Meanwhile, the club's 1000-plus members will have their membership fees refunded on a pro-rata basis, according to a statement from the club.

Further speculation has suggested that the Meydan project may also involve the development of land currently used by Dubai Country Club and the Dubai Exiles Rugby Club. Although this remains unconfirmed, Country Club chairman Andy Staines said that the organisation received notice in December that it would have to move from its current location.

"We will be moving to a new location, and if and when that happens we'll be going like for like [in terms of facilities]. We've put a subcommittee together to work on [the details of the move] and to look at the figures and designs," he said.

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