Mumbai: BMC Approves Royal Western India Turf Club's Proposal For New Clubhouse At Mahalaxmi Racecourse

Mumbai: The BMC has approved the Royal Western India Turf Club’s (RWITC) proposal to build a new clubhouse and banquet hall at Mahalaxmi Racecourse. Of the 93 acres leased to RWITC in July 2024 for horse racing and allied activities, 32 acres will be allocated for the project. While the layout and subdivision plans are approved, construction will require several clearances including the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) and Mumbai Heritage Conservation Committee (MHCC).

Details On Proposed Clubhouse

The proposed 17,000 sq. m clubhouse by Race Course Architects will include two basement parking levels and seven storeys. The upper five floors will offer 177 lodging rooms—38 rooms each on floors 3–6 and 25 rooms on the 7th. The first floor will feature a bakery, department store, card and table tennis rooms, banquet hall, play area, swimming pool, and kitchen. The second floor will house a library, mini theatre, meeting room, fitness centre, restaurants, and additional kitchen space. A second clubhouse with a banquet hall, kitchen, and pantry is also planned. 

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A senior civic official confirmed that the clubhouse project will not impact the 120-acre public open space, which will remain accessible. BMC granted final approval on June 27 after six months of review. “The redevelopment follows a public notice issued six months ago and approved by the state government,” the official added. Subplots D (stables), E (racetrack), and F (clubhouse/gymkhana) are leased to RWITC, while BMC will develop the remaining plots: A (29.4 acres) for a public/theme park, B (77 acres) as a recreation ground, and C (1.96 acres), currently unassigned. However, the BMC’s 120-acre park proposal remains under consideration.

The 211-acre land at Racecourse was leased to RWITC for over 100 years. After the lease expired in 2013, the BMC administration proposed to take over a part of the racecourse land to be turned into a "Central Park” which will span approximately 300 acres—comprising 175 acres of Mumbai's coastal land, as a condition of renewing the lease agreement of the land, which was in possession of the RWITC. However, critics, including citizens and activists, had argued that the plan risked opening the door to commercial exploitation by land developers, potentially undermining one of the city's few remaining open spaces.