The Canberra greyhound racing club has accused the ACT government of interfering in its attempt to extend the club's lease on its Jerrabomberra racecourse.
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In April, the club applied for its Crown lease of the land to be extended another 50 years, documents filed in the ACT Supreme Court this month suggest.
But the club alleges the ACT Planning and Land Authority has since deliberately kept the application in limbo because of the government's plans to ban the industry.
The club has taken the independent statutory body to court, asking for an order that would force it to grant the extension.
At a brief mention in the ACT Supreme Court on Friday, the application was set down to be heard in February.
The NSW government scrapped plans to ban greyhound racing in the state last year, but the ACT government has pressed on with its own plans to ban it, despite no evidence of cruelty in the local industry.
But although the club still had 10 years left on the 50 year lease, it received legal advice that it could apply for the extension once in the last third, the documents suggest.
The documents allege that while the application was in order, the planning authority, following discussions with the government, delayed making a decision to approve the lease.
The club alleges a staff member at the planning authority told its lobbyist Kel Watt that a planning manager and the office of Mick Gentleman had decided not to approve the lease because its purpose, greyhound racing, may soon be unlawful.
Mr Gentleman is the ACT's minister for planning and land management.
In the documents, Mr Watt said he had argued that reason was invalid because the authority was declining to grant the lease on a hypothetical situation, on legislation which had not passed.
But it's alleged to avoid potential legal issues the planning authority had chosen not to make a decision, neither approving nor rejecting the application.
The club argues it has a lawful right to the grant of a further lease and the planning authority has wrongly delayed the process.
The club is seeking a prerogative order, or a court order that would force the planning authority to act.
The application is set down for a two day hearing on February 8 and 9.
The government declined to comment.
A request to the court registry for any documents filed in defence were not answered by Friday.
