The Gold Coast Turf Club's ambition to become a metropolitan club has moved a step closer following the release of Racing Queensland Limited's Industry Infrastructure Plan.Under the plan, Gold Coast has been allocated $49 million to upgrade its racing and training facilities to metropolitan standard.The Gold Coast funding is part of a $200 million statewide plan by RQL to restructure the racing industry's three codes.Magic Millions has been a long time critic of the Gold Coast facilities and onc

The Gold Coast Turf Club's ambition to become a metropolitan club has moved a step closer following the release of Racing Queensland Limited's Industry Infrastructure Plan.

Under the plan, Gold Coast has been allocated $49 million to upgrade its racing and training facilities to metropolitan standard.

The Gold Coast funding is part of a $200 million statewide plan by RQL to restructure the racing industry's three codes.

Magic Millions has been a long time critic of the Gold Coast facilities and once threatened to move its gala day unless the club improved facilities. It recently signed a new seven year agreement with the club.

The planned improvements for the Gold Coast include a new synthetic track and widening of its course proper as well as a new No.2 grass track and sand track.

Work also will be carried out to improve ambulance and access roads, stormwater drainage infrastructure and major horse, pedestrian and vehicular tunnels.

The current mounting yard will be relocated and an equine pool will be built.

GCTC chairman Andrew Eggleston said the redevelopment was long overdue.

"We hope to get a few more metropolitan meetings," Eggleston said.

"We currently have three Saturday meetings but it would be good to get one metropolitan meeting a month.

"The best thing in all this is the work can be done without any disruption to racing.

"We'll start work on building the synthetic track first and once that is done we can race on it while the course proper is done."

Work is expected to start around June next year and be completed by 2013.

RQL chairman Bob Bentley said the multi-million dollar plan was about using existing industry venues more strategically, creating new multi-use facilities and modernising racing operations.

"This is an important time for the Gold Coast and the racing industry as a whole," Bentley said.

"Should this Industry Infrastructure Plan be implemented it would provide the single biggest capital injection into the Queensland racing industry.

"For some, change will be too difficult to even contemplate, let alone embrace. While it is impossible to please everyone, doing nothing is not an option."

The centre piece of the Industry Infrastructure Plan was the closure of Deagon, on Brisbane's northside, as a thoroughbred training facility and the building of a new $58 million purpose-built track for greyhounds and harness racing.

The plan will only proceed if clubs enter into a partnership with RQL which wants to maintain tracks and training and be responsible for its costs.

Funding for the multi-million dollar blueprint will come from a number of sources including $80 million from the Queensland Government, scrapping of the proposed Logan greyhound facility, south of Brisbane and the sale of Brisbane's Albion Park Raceway.

Thoroughbred race clubs Caloundra and Rockhampton have already signed partnership arrangements, Gold Coast and Mackay have entered into a heads of agreement with the governing body while negotiations are continuing with Townsville and Ipswich.

Bentley said the Brisbane Racing Club, which runs Eagle Farm and Doomben, was not included in the funding model as it had its own self-funding project in place.