THE Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club wants to convert a Gurkha army camp in the New Territories into a horse-training facility in what could be the first deal on a military site left vacant by the withdrawing British Garrison.
The Jockey Club has expressed interest in acquiring part of the 37 hectares at Gallipoli Lines near Fanling, near their stabling facility at Beas River Country Club.
Beas River overseer Michael Tibbatts recently admitted that the Beas River paddocks were not generating as much interest with trainers as he would have hoped, a problem he said was created by lack of space.
Gallipoli Lines will be vacated by the 10th Princess Mary's Own Gurkha Rifles (10GR) in three weeks when they return to Britain under the withdrawal of British Forces from Hong Kong in the run up to 1997.
A Jockey Club spokesman confirmed they had expressed interest in the site.
''We would be interested in making a bid if it came up for auction,'' he said.
''It could be used as an additional facility to the [Beas River] Country Club - perhaps for horse training.'' However, he said no formal approaches had been made to the Government and the Sino-British talks on military sites had still to resolve their future.